The Great Unfocus
Oh I long for the day
Of fresh air and trees
Of birds and dragonflies
And stiving to be wise
But it seems I am lost
Like so many others
In the screen of a device
Flashing so many colours
I’ve lost my focus
My capricious dreaming
I’ve lost my focus
My head is screaming
From constant activity
Not a moment to pause
From relentless scrolling
For no particular cause
Distracted from humans
Seduced by a screen
I have started to wonder
What does life really mean?
Will I be trapped
Like a fish in a bowl
Swimming in circles
Without any goal?
Will I be blamed
For the absence I created
Will I be accountable
For the time I have wasted?
Will I be blessed
With the answers I seek
Or will I be cursed
And lose the ability to speak?
Lost in a haze
Of electrons and light
Will I lose my mind
Wasting my gift of sight?
Let me put my device
Back where it belongs
As a tool I can use
For no longer than a song
Then let me get back to living
And exploring my own world
Let me discover its beauty
Before I am too old
Then imagine how I can live
No longer a zombie
Trapped in the great unfocus
Lost from my body
Blank as a bare canvas
Light as a feather
Clear as a whistle
With my act together
I was recently interviewed by Cayla Dengate from LinkedIn about whether or not job candidates should be paid to attend an interview. It was brought on by a webinar I attended with Kenneth Lang and a variety of job seekers finding the job search process difficult. In the comments to the LinkedIn Article, Jim Durling lamented that many young people cannot get off their mobile phone and are not focused enough to be able to work. Then I reflected on my own use of my mobile phone and sadly, I spend too much time on it as well (have you checked your hours of daily use recently)? I wrote this poem as a reminder to give my brain a rest and to get back to living. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂
Photo is of a Golden Elm tree that I saw on a walk in Doncaster, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 14 March 2021.
#MobilePhonePoem #PhonePoem #SueEllson #SueEllsonPoem #poem #poetry
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