Rivers have always flowed from frosty Caps on lonely mountains, down through tired Valleys, washing debris, trees, and bringing Life wherever they go. Splashing around, The water winds round rocks that would stop It. But it continues, tunneling through hills, Unstoppable. The river of life gets dashed against rock But also smiles round the same rock. Smile, camera. You switch on your phone and the f Calls your fingers into a world of glossy Glam. Flowers are more flowery, And trees are more greenery, And meals are more beefery, But teal seem to be in the tealery As each image tells you this truth: "You ain't sh....opping at the right shops! Your meals are too ordinary. Even your Guardian angel must be a frail-looking Nerd without the brains to match the title, But with just the brawn that can't lift an axle. You too don't have the six pack to share With friends; the thumb icon seems to point Down just for your life, Hearts for their smiles, Smiles, camera. Who cares where the river runs really straight, Uneventful, looking lazy, like mere luck? My Geography teacher, with his spitting glasses Told me (while I covered my face from, you know...) And showed me the meanders, the rapids, the water- Falls, the deltas, oxbow lakes, tributaries, And I asked: "What do we call this straight part?" And as he spoke, my mind floated away to possible names: "Never on social media episodes" "No need to take a picture moments" "Too ordinarily nice for TV" "Guttural silly laughter, not smiles" "No smiles, no camera" For we only pause to take a breath at The punctuation, That fills the river, the river, of life. Then we extrapolate from those singular Moments of beauty, happiness, whateverness, And assume that the tree bark is just As green as the leaves we glimpsed. Walt Disney figured this out really fast, And Mickey danced on the pages. You ain't sh... owing your talent. They are. Because that picture said so, And a less-than-a-second capture of light Is worth more than the ebbs and flows of your life, Like that punctuation wasn't part of A longer sentence... Oh! That we may all see that The river of life gets dashed against rock But always smiles round the same rock. Smile, camera (c) nyonglema
Tag Archives: social media
Lies #facts
What tales are you telling your thoughts today?
Walking to face your Facebook feed elated,
Post pictures of you in Adonis' heyday,
And thumbs up fast to keep reality sedated
Motivational merchants pick them to hawk wares
And tell the youth of paths that lead to heaven
Only the trials you bear beset like grizzly bears
When you close your eyes to walk to heaven.
As if ever anything came from being chained down
They offer hope as: "Be yourself", "Keep your booth"
You fight with Science, seek solace on tainted ground
While soaking pillows in salient prayers with solid truth.
(c) nyonglema
Trust #onLifeSupport
A big thanks to Social Media. Yeah, thanks.
We’re all connected now, whispering with our thumbs,
Sharing the crumbs of our lives, and connected
Through our lively screen to millions of others
Like us with their friends. Dear friends.
My Facebook page says I have 261 people whom I
Can confide in, share my cleanest and dirtiest,
Hold on to theirs, share deep memories with.
Facebook calls them my “Friends”.
My Twitter page says I have 75 disciples.
They hang on my every word, and I’m the disciple of
Nearly as many as well.
Well I noticed that keeping my secrets in the minds
Of my 261 was a little challenging through F2F …
You know the good old face-to-face with no listening walls?
So I just blast it to them all at the same time.
My life’s their entertainment, and theirs mine,
And theirs theirs.
Then I noticed I couldn’t keep their secrets in my mind
So, I just browse, like, retweet and forget,
Unless it is critical.
Then I noticed that nobody trusts anybody anymore.
Then I noticed that elections will be contested,
Conspiracy theories like poisoned mushrooms
Will cloud our vision till reality recedes to oblivion.
I noticed that everybody will see the Devil everywhere,
And since social media has trained us to be different
By conforming to what different means,
Which simply means be like everybody else,
But in a different way:
(just look at our smartphones…the only difference is
The letters on them …so mostly same, but different),
We are starting to see a Devil in the mirror
But the comments say “You’re good, you’re cool”
With a thumbs up, a heart, a wink and more,
So we believe them, but of course with a pinch of salt.
(c) nyonglema
waghni 