Search With Sense: An Educative African Poem About Google and Wisdom

 Poem:

Before the screen, before the click,

We learned from elders, slow and thick.

Tongues told truth by firelight glow,

Now thumbs ask what they need to know.

We search the world in seconds flat,

For this, for that, for where, for what.

Google speaks in coded streams,

Facts, opinions, half-born dreams.

It shows the road, not how to stand,

Gives you the map, not guiding hand.

It counts the stars, explains the sky,

But can’t teach when to trust a lie.

What’s loud ain’t truth, what trends ain’t right,

Some lies wear facts in borrowed light.

So check twice, weigh what you see,

Wisdom walks with scrutiny.

Use search as tool, not as your mind,

Think before you hit “decline.”

For sense outlives the fastest feed,

And thought decides what facts you need.

Ask with purpose, learn with care,

Let knowledge grow, not trap you there.

Search the web—but know the way:

The mind must lead, not what you say.

-----

Poet: Olamide Emmanuel Willoughby - Laminono 

About the Poem: Search With Sense

The poem talks about how knowledge has changed—from traditional African learning through elders and storytelling, to modern learning through Google and the internet.

It reminds us that:

Search engines give information, not wisdom.

Finding answers is easy, but thinking deeply about those answers is the real work.

Not everything online is true just because it is popular or trending.

The poem uses African imagery—elders, firelight, proverbs—to show that wisdom used to be passed carefully and thoughtfully. Today, information comes fast, but without sense, judgment, and values, it can mislead.

The core message is educative:

Use Google as a tool, not a replacement for thinking.

In short, the poem teaches that:

Critical thinking beats fast searching

Wisdom grows from reflection, not just information

Technology should serve the mind, not control it