Life Beyond a Cell Phone

Life Beyond a Cell Phone

Plugged-in, they drop out of nature
like zombies on a moon walk

Plugged-in, their nervous systems evolve
like crack addicts lurching for a hit

Plugged-in, they forget the color of the sky,
the sea, the backyard juniper trees;

they eat and text, ballooning up like bloated
cows at an alfalfa festival

Plugged-in, they deafly call and dumbly listen,
robotic responses from robot minds.

Plugged-in, and connected, they disconnect
from all but a narrow screen, a stream

Of nothingness infused with meaning by peers,
sanctioned by parents eager to please

Plugged-in, they spiral earthward, numbed
by indulgence and self-gratification,

staring into cyberspace, androids waiting
for the next message affirming existence,

fearing an unplugged universe full of
stars, planets and possibilities.