is to raise a wall
back to its preexistence
to halt a
read-between-the-lines
brand of resonance;
a wall to protect
those constructed surfaces
from even being scratched.
Now, you feel
              an
                  empty sting

when your access to a
digital counterpart,
a modern-day version
of a person's cognition,
is denied.
It's as if their posts are
the only way left
where you could
actually
hear the things
that couldn't be spoken of;
where you could
feel the
immeasurable heartbeats
that could never be
projected;
  and all of these
      illusions
          make you wish
              you talked more
                  in real life.

When I'm bored
I like to go on pretty girls' profiles
And imagine what it must be like to be them

To post a picture
And get that many likes
To have their perfect hair
Perfect bodies
Perfect smiles
To be beautiful

Sometimes I feel pretty
But no one ever tells me I am

So I go to their profiles
To remind myself
Of what society can say
But refuses to say to me

And I conclude
That it must be
Because I'm
Ugly

mov•ie
\ ˈmü-vē \

noun

1.a story represented in motion pictures/motion : noun : mo·tion : \ ˈmō-shən \ : an act, process, or instance of changing place/forward, backward, up, down, pacing, running, crawling/how we flee from our lives, our problems, our responsibilities/instead of focusing on motion we look to pictures/picture : noun : pic·ture :  \ ˈpik-chər \ : a design or representation made by various means/click, zoom, import, export/our lives are on a flash drive, on a snapchat, on an instagram, on a memory card/everywhere but on our own memories/we don’t like pictures either/they show moments never to be regained from our past/our solution?/combine them into something better/movie : verb : mov·ie :  \ ˈmü-vē \ : an escape from reality/we use movies to deflect the pain of our lives/we think that we watch because we are bored/no/we watch to escape/escape : verb :  es·cape : /əˈskāp/ : a recording of moving images that tells a story and that people watch on a screen or television.

media is self absorbed
corrupt government systems
**** journalists and civilians
bleached coral reefs
nuclear bomb testing
fast fashion and factory farming
class discrepancy grows
capitalism expands
the forest weeps
earth is burning
150-200 species of life
become extinct every day

here's a picture of my food
and my pet, he's a good boy
vacay in madrid smiley emoticon
hashtag blessed hashtag fun

is it a lie or a distraction

keep scrolling through iTunes,
can’t seem to find anything to download,
even though I can download,
any song that I want to,

keep scrolling through my timeline,
Facebook lines & Instagram posts,
but can’t seem to find anything of interest,
which doesn’t make sense since I love everyone,

got everything we want,
but nothing that we need,
traded in our dreams,
for some fantasies on a screen,
here forget you used to be free,
have a seat & take this TV,
it’s amazing how we make miracles,
seem so easy,

it’s like,
these machines gave us everything we ever wanted,
without,
giving us anything that we ever needed,

& it’s strange because I’ve won every battle,
but still I feel defeated,
it’s like I’m sitting around,
alone with all these toys around me,

feeling like a Prince without a Kingdom,
or a King without a throne,
or a Princess without a wishlist in her Queendom,
with a magnificent house that’s missing a home,

are you missing your home,
that home you never had,
are you missing that feeling,
that feeling that you can’t quite grab,

and that’s,

exactly why you keep scrolling through iTunes,
& that’s exactly why I keep scrolling thought iTunes,
we’re both missing the same thing & searching in vain,
it’s eerily ironic how we can feel so alone in the same room,

& I feel your pain because I feel my pain two,

pardon me,
maybe I’m confused,
maybe we,
wanted to get attention instead of getting used,

& there’s so much more I want to mention,
but then again I guess what’s the use,
why start something that’s only definite is an ending,
but I’m your friend so if you want to begin it’s up to you,

I’m willing to relax,
I’ll answer all your questions,
let’s trade facts,
truth or dare until we express all our intentions,

in the pursuit of passions,
listening to intuitions,
remembering what it was to be human,
before we gave in & gave them our emotions,

I swear something doesn’t feel right,
like most of these humans are just Programs,
who look like they are moving with intention,
but are really just going through the motions,

keep scrolling through iTunes,
can’t seem to find anything to download,
even though I can download,
any song that I want to…

∆ LaLux ∆

Los Angeles, CA.
October 8th, 2018

Social media companies
Swear it's you they want to please
They badly want for you to see
That they value privacy
And that there are several strictures
On who can see your posts and pictures.

You think your profile is secure
You're satisfied until you hear
That they sell your information
To advertising corporations.

Every post that you've spent time on
pictures, videos you had your eye on
They save it all for using later
And say "It's ONLY metadata!"

They as good as have a list
Of content that you can't resist
And knowing full well what you like
With custom ads they duly strike!
They desperately want you to keep scrolling
So they can see the money roll in.
And their ethics will be forfeited
So advertisers can be profited.

finding fake joy in little lies
finding fake self worth in some shoes
new branded item
no one looks up on you for them
just wait 'til the mud tear them down
tell me who what do you see when you look into the mirror
is it someone you like?
is it someone you wanted to be?
the kid in you says hi to me
asking you to grow up so that he can too
to face the real world
like a real man should
armed with ammunition
that is real self-confidence
stemming firmly on the ground of wisdom
not fake accessories and marketing gimmicks
clink another glass
because that's how you face your problems
pout another story
for your non-existent friends to tell
inflated self image inflated ego
who you gonna fool with your little bell

Five of us sit together
Four are boys
Three are gamers
Two are sick
One is me