Watching the world
fly by
I see
so many times
we are not together
only occupying
the same space
Texting
Talking
Tweeting
Watching
Emailing
Updating status
Playing games
A device per person
as 3 people sit
on the same sofa
together
but not
Being present
means showing your screen
to someone else
a text across the room
a virtual game with a friend
We are so connected to devices we sometimes forget the human side of interactions. At Costco yesterday I saw 9and heard) so many people talking to someone elsewhere or texting. Not long ago a person talking to someone not there would be thought to have a problem, now this is the norm. Funny how things have changed.
ReplyDeleteHave you been in my living room? We do occupy the space, but we do talk. I find it sad to go to dinner and watch the people on their gadgets, not talking.
ReplyDeleteI remember the companionable feeling of evenings spent, each reading a book, sitting close enough to touch, to share a passage or a thought- maybe traveling to far-flung destinations through the pages in our hands, yet tethered together to the same home base.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for writing this poem. I want to send it to everyone I know. I distinctly remember a time when friends who had moved to China for 3 years were temporarily back home for a visit. We went out for ice cream on a warm summer night. After ordering, there we sat -she on her phone, he on his phone, their daughter on her phone - and me, no phone - all alone. It struck me so hard that I am now really aware of when I use or don't use my electronics. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteSO true! Above and beyond all of this is how electronic "conversations" are used to avert any actual conversations that might be difficult or uncomfortable, which happens all too often and only tends to make matter worse. Sad.
ReplyDeleteYou have perfectly captured the way life is these days. The poem's short lines show how brief we expect our communications to be now. So sad!
ReplyDelete"On your cell" really means "in your cell" in a lot of ways, doesn't it? You are right on the mark with this, Maya, and isn't it such an irony that we're talking about this via technology? It's so paradoxical -- the power to connect people as never before (slice 2012 being a brilliant example), and yet also to somehow disconnect them. Nice slice! :)
ReplyDelete