Poem: "Saving the Knowledge"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is today's freebie, inspired by prompts from wyld_dandelyon, readera, and Anonymous. It also fills the "Role Models" square in my 4-4-21 "Aspects" card for the Genderplay Bingo fest. It belongs to the Daughters of the Apocalypse series.


"Saving the Knowledge"


History's tapestry tells of humanity
Down from the Stone Age and up to the End.
Oral tradition will keep it all going now,
Passing the stories from family to friend.

Songs about science will shelter the memories,
Teaching of nature and all of its laws.
Life is mysterious, not inexplicable;
Everything happening must have a cause.

These are the songs that we sing in the Aftermath,
Saving the knowledge passed down from Before
Giggling children crowd close to the grandmothers,
Eagerly waiting for stories in store.

Weapons are needed for hunting and safekeeping,
Longbows and arrows and rifles and knives.
Know how to care for them, know how to use them well:
These are the tools that we trust with our lives.

Food is important, so learn about foraging,
What you can find in the woods and the fields.
Know when it's planting time, know when it's harvest time,
Bring forth the bounty the fertile Earth yields.

These are the songs that we sing in the Aftermath,
Saving the knowledge passed down from Before
Giggling children crowd close to the grandmothers,
Eagerly waiting for stories in store.

Comments

[wyld_dandelyon]

Yes! This would be very singable.

[janetmiles]

I like the rhythm of this one.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy to hear that.

[readera]

Lovely! I love the rhythm of this. :D

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I designed it to sound catchy.

[scrubjayspeaks]

I love the idea of songs and stories as educational and cultural memes in an oral future. I can imagine there are lots of little mnemonic songs for things like edible/useful plant species identification or the steps of certain tasks.