The Screen

By Andrew R. Duckworth

I wonder what Orwell would have thought,
Sometimes, I wonder.
Massive screens displaying endless streams
Of propaganda through cities?
Society has done one better.
Try screens in the palm of one’s hand,
Taken everywhere one can move,
And an addiction so diabolical
We behave like children when it’s gone,
And a never ceasing flow of hatred
Pouring through to our veins,
Infecting worse than any other virus,
Like an acid that destroys the friendly facade,
Creating a new creature from the remains.
I wonder what Orwell would have thought,
Sometimes, I wonder.
Big Brother that invades daily life,
Watching every move?
Society has done one better.
A marriage of government and tech,
Where a person doesn’t have to worry
About living alone.
You’re never alone when someone
Listens on the other end,
When someone watches every key stroke,
When someone watches from a built-in camera,
Like a peeping tom glancing
Through your window.
Yes, we do have harsh punishments
For the truly perverse,
But the perverted on the other end
Gets a government pass.
See, we abandoned Franklin’s words
And did so waving proud banners.
What’s a little bit of liberty lost
As long as we FEEL safe?
Orwell’s worst fears realized,
Tech-crazed, brainless fools to exploit,
Unaware of our exploitation,
Demonstrating stupidity with each new election.