An ode to technology

Playing with poetry 💕

Like so many of us I’m sure, I’m almost at a loss to express my frustrations, bewilderment, bamboozlement and general despair at technology. At how the thing that was meant to ‘help’ now adds significant stress to our lives. I’m not going to go into a comparative analysis (although my inner statistician is dying to), nor wax lyrical about the evils of social media etc. I know I’m in my fifties, but it’s not just an age thing. My daughters don’t understand email and are growing up into a work world that hasn’t adapted to their super fast and instant relationship with tech so it has challenges both up and down the generations. There are too many thoughts and I’m struggling to express them, so I’m going to go random, and convey my feelings through the medium of poetry.

Poetry is not a form of writing I really have much experience in, and certainly no technical knowledge of, but I think that’s one of the beauties of poetry? There is much to study and, learn and be inspired by, but for me it also brings this enormous sense of fun and play. So this is me having a play…with little adherence to form or rhythm…and letting out my frustration in words rather than bringing a hammer to my laptop 🤣.

I wrote it this morning and haven’t refined it for ‘metering’ so I think it may be best listened to on audio, but what could be more of an antidote to tech than poetry…?

I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Sunday folks 💕

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This poem is called… ‘Susan’

Susan had sent me a message

It seems she had something to say

A kindness, advice, a meetup perhaps?

A thing of great worth to relay.

I knew I had seen her message

For a second it had made my day

My heart had connected – she was thinking of me!

It wasn’t a bill to pay…

I searched for the source of the message

Was it email, or insta, or text?

Facebook or Whatsapp or Substack or X?

My search left me so perplexed.

I knew she has sent me a message

T’was as lost as my keys or my specs

But where could it be? Under a tree?

Perhaps in the grass, or did I hide it in my arse?

I wish she had called me instead.

I distracted myself with TV

From the comfort of my lovely bed

I knew there was something I wanted to see

T’was the ‘best of the best’ they said.

Was it Netflix, or Apple, or Hulu or Now?

Sky or Box Office or Prime?

iPlayer, Disney or Four on Demand?

There’s so much to see and no time.

I found myself browsing and scrolling

Through trailers and snippets and teasers

The hours passed by with no meaning at all

Is this really designed to please us?

I wish I had reached for a book.

Perhaps I’ll catch up on my admin, thought I

Pay some bills, do accounts, order meds

Fill in forms, book hotels, arrange dentist and docs

It’s all automated, they said.

I login through NHS portals

Configured for every ‘complaint’

They’re so not designed for mere mortals

Self-guided and simple it ain’t.

With passwords and logins and ‘2-factor auth’

‘There’s too many options!’ I shout;

I try to remember that date in November

But getting it wrong, I’m locked out.

I finally get to a work call

Is it Teams or Yammer or Zoom?

I don’t want to stare at my own face again

How I long to be in the same room.

I know there’s a link on my email

I search through ten thousand and eight

Maybe I flagged it or filed it in trash

Who knows? All my files are a state.

I flop into bed in frustration

My mind busy yet also so weary

Thoughts whirring around like their own wheel of doom

No wonder I’m always so teary.

At 3am I awake with a jolt

Susan had messaged on Strava!

My glee is unbound, I message her back

But oh, what a bloody palaver.

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I’m not sure where ‘Susan’ came from, but our ‘Ring’ doorbell is named Susan to make that feel like a slightly less intrusive addition to our technical smorgasbord so perhaps that inspired me. And my task for the rest of the day…? (apart from cooking a family roast)… is to update my website.

Wish me luck friends, I’m going in!

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What’s your relationship like with tech - do you embrace it or resist it?

I’d love to hear.

And my advice for the day? If you’re feeling stressed or riled about anything at all, pause for a poem. Write one, read one, share one. There is magic therein.

As always,

Love & lemons 💕🍋

Em xx

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