This is a short poem about the one element that has divided society into a definitive before and after. It’s only been 20 years, but most of us still have difficulty remembering a time before we cut the cord to those around us, in exchange for infinite entertainment, connection and commodity.

Warm ice, frozen soul with siren’s promise
of family warmth and knowledge.
Life moves like a glacier but the grind is lost
in this warm sea of other existence.

A phantom limb touching ghosts
of fantasy lives and loves.
People watched through glass, but untouched
by humans in an electron world.

Constant connection without attachment
to warm breath and smiles.
Aching but numb to the death
of contact, community and the sea.