Facebook and Snapchat
YouTube and Tik Tok
mad boys on Reddit
Lost sheep in the same flock
Millions of followers
with no one to lead
a whole generation’s
collective brain bleed
Communally living
in woke echo chambers
dimwitted dice-throwing
zombie-like gamers
Vid links and jpegs
the shallow and vain
everyone jumps on
the “look at me!” train
Looking for meaning
in meaningless places
we screen-scroll bikinis
and beautiful faces
With eyes gazing downward
we all barely see
the world of the living
our humanity
More connected than ever
yet still isolated
we’re captive less active
we’re chained and we’re gated
Networked in sorrow
we borrow from pain
we search for tomorrow
with nothing to gain
We touch screens and tap links
but don’t touch each other
we sniff around porn sites
for sexy stepmothers
Adrift in the wireless
we’re glued to the cam
tireless voyeurs
we’re wolves chasing lambs
Bio:
Geoffrey Reilly is a skilled, passionate, and collaborative information designer and writer with over 30 years of experience in the software industry. He lives in Warren, RI with his wife, two sons, and their dog, Pepsi.
In his spare time, he writes essays, poetry, and (every now and then) short stories.
You can find his creative endeavors on his blog site, Bending the Needle – Truth Hurts and on his personal website.
If you would like to have your work published in The Poetry Bar send your poem, a few words about yourself and the link to your blog and Instagram account to the e-mail poetrybar1@gmail.com
On the bottom, no pun intended. Easy read and to understand. This got you message across, loud and clear. Would easily make a lyric to a time of similar quality. This is in no way to devalue this piece. It just scanned like a song. Loved it for its honesty. A peek into C21 life and how it’s in someways devalued the truest interpersonal nature of living. Yes Social Media is a miscarriage of life. An ironic juxtaposition of what it is to be truly alive and thriving. A deceitful social networking veneer, overlaid on the reality of AdTech and MarTech and it’s Surveillance Economy on which Personal Profiling Capitalism is operated.
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it! I didn’t take your observation of the poem’s lyric-like quality as a slight in any way. 🙂 — When I wrote it, I heard a musical cadence in my head (as I do with most of what I write). Not sure where that sound in my head comes from — I just ride it as I write. I agree with your views on the duality and destructive nature of social media. Have a nice weekend, Pryderi !
This alright. ✔️👨🏻🦳