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This poem is written in London, May 4, 1995. It talks about issues regarding different lifestyles and values of two generations. It also talks about the generation gap that exists between grandparents and their grandchildren. This poem is like a dialogue between them. In the first stanza, the grandchild asks his grandfather if he could breathe without air conditioner and how people manage to survive without modern devices such as air conditioners, fans, faxes and telephones. The child asks his grandmother if she was uncomfortable fanning herself with paper fans. He inquisitively questions how they could communicate without today's modern media of communication which he cannot do without.
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In the second stanza, the grandparents' answer sets the two generations apart. Though they lived void of the "basic necessities", they lived contentedly and respected nature. Also, they were God-fearing people. The grandparents warn the younger generations that they have inherited much technological advancement and it has led to a separation from his spiritual well-being. God has been replaced by money and nature has begun to fear man. Natural surroundings are being taken over by rapid development and that has led to pollution, deforestation and destruction of natural habitats that now threatens man.
Source: Curriculum Development Division. Ministry of Education Malaysia. 2010
