Virtuality
Location
Why is it that today
we teach our children patience
by complaining that our computers don't work
as fast as 100 miles a minute?
We tell our daughters
the only way she's accepted
is if she leaves the house,
every morning,
with her face painted.
We tell our sons
that the only way he'll be respected
is if he wears a mask
and pretends nothing affects him.
Has the carbon dioxide in the atmoshpere made the air heavier?
It seems as if all we do
is walk around with our necks bent, our heads down
staring at our feet like something new is going to appear there.
What happened to smiling at strangers?
Now, bare teeth grins
elicit wary looks
and "What the hell do you want?" gazes.
On the internet,
we have no problems stating our emotions,
People tie them to balloons, let them go
While watching them bounce against a white ceiling.
Hashtags and likes and friends (that aren't really your friends let's be honest),
#MancrushMonday, #throwbackThursday, #SelfieSunday,
Instagram, facebook, twitter, tumblr
all of these mean on thing: say cheese, you are happy.
Pictures of people smiling,
filter the color from your life.
We mustn't fret the real stuff,
the fake is what makes us.
We're supposed to experience everything,
at the speed of a hummingbird's heartbeat.
but we're never intended to reveal,
or feel, anything remotely
real.