Embarrassing Thoughts

It is a good and a smart brain
that I have.
I forget that sometimes.
Long ago, so long ago
it did math – calculus even
and it wrote poetry
and it excelled in physics.
It pontificated on literature.

I must not waste it
by drinking and
watching television.
It can understand budgets
and marketing strategy
and user experience.

It is a good brain,
that I have neglected for
so long, it forgets how to
think and even how to talk
correctly.

Poor brain, I must not waste it
forget about it
neglect it.

It washes away
like a stone
on the edge of the sea,
becoming smooth
and smoother every day.

I often think
we lost our innocence
as a culture
somewhere in the 1980’s
or maybe the 90’s.
It isn’t a new thought,
but one that troubles me
nonetheless.

There is something
about the idea of
going to work
and never once
looking at a screen
that is so
heartbreakingly
beautiful,

something so simple and
clean about
putting a pen to paper
speaking to people
face to face
dialing a telephone
with a rotary.

It is painful
knowing we can
never go back
to a time before
pixilated light and
instant messenger
and texting.

I guess they thought this
about the phonograph
and the electric light
and the first
television set.

I keep thinking
that was different
but maybe it wasn’t
so much.