A grid of nine, trapped behind
the locked box of cyberspace,
unavailable, calling for me.

The pink hues of stories and pictures,
the celebrities announcing another ad,
an AMA, capturing the repeated days.

A robotic stage, the marvelous mingling
of strangers, of friends we’ll never truly meet.
It’s hard to stay away for long.

The green and blue bubbles of simplicity.
Of how was your day. Of excitement. Of plans.
A concert of lyrics addressed only to me.

The bird which sings for all to hear.
The nerds who look up from their book
to smile a hello. The chaotic certainty
of community, calling for me.

After a day away, I’ve arrived back home,
the rectangular refuge of a reimagined reality.

Tell me a time
U needed me
A time u grabbed ur phone
2 text me.

Have u ever rung me
In the depths of the night
Just to hear my voice
In the darkness?

U could say u had
U could tell me u need me
But I’d see our messages
Or rather, my messages:

The lines and lines
Of my words,
Calling ur name,
That go on for miles.

Punctuated by one of urs
A smile :)
Or a word
And nothing more.

How can ily
When u never respond?
How can I be obsessed
When there’s nothing:

No message
For me to obsess over.
Ily
But u never,
ever reply :(

This is where I mislead people
Of how broken I am
By putting an act
That I'm very happy
Just like the smiling photos seen in your timeline

My stomach twists and turns
every time I see you staring down at your phone screen
as I’m trying to conversate with you
but you don’t dare look up at me,
probably because you don’t care about what I have to say
your phone is more interesting...

You pose and pout,
Seduction by superficial sauciness.
You tell me of your day
With that simpering voice,
Raising each last word
Long and loud.

You show me your flash cars,
Your sumptuous wardrobe
And who knows what else?

You and your kin call yourselves “Influencers” –
A great word,
But all you do is make people:
People who have grafted long and hard
For a little spare cash,
Go buy things they
Do not really need.

Right Said Fred was Right:
The global catwalk
Is a sham.

I too would love to be an “Influencer”,
Such a fine word,
But I would be one to encourage folk
To Love others,
Stop all this Conflict
Between polar opposites and extremes,
Fight only for the Common Good,
And make the world a better place
For All.

Paul Butters

© PB 15\1\2021.