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"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"


It started years ago, 
   slowly.

At first, it was an anomaly,
   as only a few had been taken,
But it was easy to see
   who had crossed over,
   who had given up their will, 
   who had embraced everlasting

Novelty.
   
The promise of unending variety was just
   too much, 
   too seductive,
   too good to be 

True. 

They weren't aliens, 
   or so it seemed.
It was their friends who showed them
   The Device 
   that fit in their hand
   that would change their world

Forever.

Just a short demo from a co-worker, 
   bandmate, or neighbor
would delight and tease, 
   (and nothing more),
the curious uninitiated
   until 
 
Night.

Where the transformation would begin, 
   lasting for three evenings of deep, 
   deep 
   sleep.
Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, adrenaline, 
   all get stolen.
 
Once they have crossed over
   it is obvious — 
   they are transformed and

Transfixed. 

You see them everywhere, 
   walking in dazed devotion
   with their device, 
Even in the most idyllic setting
   they are oblivious
   to anything but their

Device. 

They telepathically call out to other devotees:
   I am one of you,
   I am desperately seeking contact with others, 
   but not right

Now.       

The Device is their constant companion — 
   arbiter of truth, 
   bastion of entertainment,
   and constant source of reassurance. 

They drive with
          cook with
          eat with
          sleep with
          cry with
          laugh with
their 

Device.  

When they occasionally look up, 
   they see other devotees on billboards,
   with their devices in hand,
   smiling, 
Looking sexy, 
   happy, and 
  
Indomitable. 
   
Clearly generational, 
   the younger the devotee,
   the more symbiotic the relationship.

Meanwhile, non-believers who use 
   Neanderthal devices are 
   immediately spotted and shunned, 
Their Morse Code texting 
   signaling that they are 
   inferior
and in need of 

Conversion. 

Some even have a virtual Friend
   who talks with them 
   and gets to know them
very, very well —  
   confides,
   advises,
   inspires —
   someone to

Fall In Love With. 

Yet, there are those few Masters
   who somehow handle the intricacies of 
   discovery, 
   creativity, and 
   efficiency
Without attachment and desperate 

Clinging.  
   

The Smart Phone —
   don't leave your body
   without it
. . . 

 

September 2018
     

 

 

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©2018, Michael Smolens