If I ask a question
would anyone answer
or is an answer
too much to ask
and we scroll like zombies
I’ll ask anyway
just in case
someone has something
to say
and we scroll like zombies
what happened to the world
what happened to us
why are we like this
when will it end
and we scroll like zombies
go back twenty years
what were our fears
surely not a screen
with people who were mean
and we scroll like zombies
go back a decade
memories were made
we had to remember
our phones could not
and we scroll like zombies
social media is
not really social
it’s the Me in media
and the I in social
and we scroll like zombies
no one has
as many friends
as the number
on their profile
and we scroll like zombies
it is a lie
that a lot of us live
giving meaning to numbers
when there is none
and we scroll like zombies
here is a picture
do I look good
here is a cause I support
you should too
and we scroll like zombies
here is a joke
tell me I’m funny
here is another joke
am I still funny
and we scroll like zombies
on our high horse
we sit and stare
judging others with the
press of a button
and we scroll like zombies
so much power
in our tiny thumbs
can cheer up
or tear down
and we scroll like zombies
no one liked it
no one likes me
no one cares
no one cares about me
and we scroll like zombies
words take up
too much time
get to the point
or we won’t care
and we scroll like zombies
take a picture
it lasts longer
pick a filter
it looks better
and we scroll like zombies
how dare we stand
outside by ourselves
and look bored
better grab my phone
and we scroll like zombies
put the earbuds in
we don’t want to talk
who are you
don’t sit next to me
and we scroll like zombies
the screen
brightens our face
the sun
brightens our screen
and we scroll like zombies
people make videos
telling us to look up
but only after
we finish looking down
and we scroll like zombies
this poem has a purpose
the repetition
the short lines
the use of we
and we scroll like zombies
when I say we
how do you feel
do you feel included
is that what you want
and we scroll like zombies
there’s an urgency
to follow the trends
celebrities let us know
which ones they are
and we scroll like zombies
because no one wants
to be a loner
that’s like finding
a monster under the bed
and we scroll like zombies
our phone is our friend
our battery is our enemy
we keep our friends close
and our chargers closer
and we scroll like zombies
don’t you see
how twisted this is
or did you give up on
reading this long ago
and we scroll like zombies
look at me
talk to me
listen to me
please like me
and we scroll like zombies
so many people never talk
we exchange buttons
not numbers
it’s a like for like world
and we scroll like zombies
so what happened to the world
what happened to us
why are we like this
when will it end
and we scroll like zombies
I won’t tell you to change
I can’t
I am you
we are each other
and we scroll like zombies.
This is amazing piece of social commentary, I love the abrasive nature of your words. Humanity has entered an information driven age which in turn has made us much more ignorant then we would like to think. It’s people like you who can help change this, keep up the good writing! This reminds me of a poem I wrote, with a similar connotation. I hope you don’t mind me linking it here, but I’d love for you to have a look. Both are poems are written in an eerily similar way! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts 🙂
Note #8 Camera | Detailed Accounts of Nothing
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Thank you for the kind words and thanks for sharing your poem – it was great! I left a comment on it as well.
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Exactly. The zombie apocalypse is happeninh right beneath our noses, but we are busy updating our status to see it.
Well written. xx
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And we won’t know about it until we read about it on our phones. How sad.
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Oh my gosh. This is PERFECT. I sent my Dad the link. He’ll love it too! I love the part where you talk about the ME in Media and I in Social. So well put together. You’re right. All we are doing is scrolling like a bunch of zombies. I’m guilty of that too.
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Thanks! We’re all guilty. And there’s no end in sight.
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It’s kind of sad.
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Very.
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I loved this Paul, all so very true and so poetically and truthfully written. A sad state of affairs that unfortunately most of us are caught up in. But I still like to think we all have the power to choose whether or not we become zombies or not.
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Thank you, Miriam. It just amazes me at how quickly this happened. 10 years ago I don’t think any of us could have imagined how social media and phones could take over like they have.
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I agree with you Paul and I hate to admit it but there are times when I’m just as guilty. Yes, they serve a purpose but sometimes I feel like throwing all our devices out the window! But there’s no going back, is there?
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Probably not, unless everyone threw out their devices and committed to the 90s way of communicating.
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Ha. Somehow that seems more like science fiction than anything else.
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I was cringing the whole time… That’s a good thing, lol. Certainly made me think about my electronic usage, even though I’ve had these thoughts before. Superbly done, Paul; I didn’t want it to end.
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Thanks, Squid! Sorry it wasn’t longer lol
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Haha no problem! To satisfy me, WordPress might not have been able to handle all those deep thoughts. 😁
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If only there was a way to travel back in time…
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We’ll have a time machine one day, right?
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You must do most of your social media on your phone (“so much power
in our tiny thumbs”). See? I was reading to see what I could learn about YOU. Paul. 🙂 I do most of my reading/writing on my laptop (partially because I do a lot of it during downtime at work). So now you know! Nice to connect with you this morning. 😀
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Uh oh, I don’t want to burst your bubble but I also do most of my reading/writing on my laptop. If I do use my phone for social media, I just scroll for a few minutes and see if I missed anything important. Hence, the scrolling like zombies..but I guess I do that too on my laptop. Thanks for looking for something to learn about me!
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Do you scroll with your thumb on your laptop?
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I don’t. I use the three fingers to the right of it.
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Yes!
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Masterful 🙂
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Amazing writing!
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Thank you!
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Wow! Well done. This is true wisdom.
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Thanks Ms. Rubix Cube 🙂
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You’re welcome, Air Supply xx
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Yep. We pay more attention to how many friends it says we have on our screen than how many friends in real life.. Thank you.
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I’m not quite one of The Walking Dead yet, but my kids would suggest that I’m heading in that in direction—boy if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black. Gotta admit, though, this post of yours is a little scary, because it’s so spot on about people and social media not being all that social.
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Sorry to hear your kids have been infected! Stay safe, Paul. It’s almost “show off Media” instead of social media. Though I have to say, the blogging world is pretty social.
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Now that’s true. But yes, sadly our children are out there wondering around somewhere with their heads looking down at their smart phones, making themselves easy targets for Rick, Daryl, and Carol. I fear it’s only a matter of time before Chris Hardwick showcases them in the Memoriam segment on Talking Dead, since they spend so much time on their phones already. 😀
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“….all this and more coming up on the season finale of The Walking Dead this Sunday at 9.” Now THAT’S a promo!
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LMAO! ‘D
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Man have you captured social media PERFECTLY. Here’s my ultimate compliment. I’m using this poem in my classes. Crediting you as the poet, of course.
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It’s finally happening! “Barb’s class featuring Paul”. Wow. Thank you! Let me know what they think!
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Hahaha I never thought of that! We could Skype and all eat pizza. I definitely will. I have to write lesson plans. I can’t just say here’s a cool poem, go read it, lol. I’ll bore you with all the details. You can go back to your high school English teachers and see if they saw this writing talent in your future.
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If I were a teacher I would definitely walk into the class and say “here’s a cool poem, read it” haha. There’s one high school english teacher I’ve kept in touch with over the years. He was a huge inspiration. I always felt like I had the freedom to write anything and not be bound by strict guidelines in his class.
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That’s wonderful to have had a teacher like that. Remember, my kids are learning English, so they have to get a little help with the vocabulary. But that’s what’s so awesome about your poem. It’s about something that they know about and can relate to.
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Ah, that’s true. I should’ve written a poem about English!
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Then they wouldn’t have wanted to read it, lol. It’s perfect.
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This post mad me think about how much i use social media. Made me realize i should probably cut back before i get too addicted. But this was post was Spot on, on what is happening to many of us in this generation. First post i have read from you, and i like it. Thank you for writing this!
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Welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it!
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It’s here! Scroll Like Zombies Week in Barb’s Class Featuring Paul! I’ll let you know how it goes.
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I expect this to spread like wildfire across classrooms around the world. Yours is just the start!
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And people will say “Back in the day, they met on WordPress, and the poet and the teacher became a team.”
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Sounds like a line out of a future history textbook!
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ps I have a post from last night that I think you missed. Please check it out 😃
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I shall get to it. I haven’t read anything in the last few days.
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I am falling behind, too. I visited some of my favorite blogs this evening, but the political news tonight is riveting. And I can’t concentrate on both.
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And I love people who use the word “shall.”
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I shall use it more often.
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And I shall look forward to it.
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This is spot on, Paul. Very good. And it’s partly because of the zomboid scrolling on Facebook and the superficiality and unpleasantness of people’s behaviour on the site that I returned to blogging after an absence of a couple of years. I’m so glad to be back.
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People have really strong opinions on Facebook and don’t really care how many comments they make. Blogging is definitely a happier place.
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