When did our humanity turn into instant ones and zeros,

and personalities become virtual mannequins of ourselves?

Are emotions now just streams of data that we follow?

Is there substance in these dolls we dress so well?

When did the colours of our soul get trapped in this palace of pixels,

and the warmth of our loving touch frozen in its wires like bones?

Why has the fabric that defines us become so fickle?

Do we now wear spiderwebs like the emperor's new clothes?

Will eyes become obsolete once we see through only cameras,

or voices go unheard when they can simply be skipped to the next track?

Do hearts just beat to run these machines that are now our masters?

Are our lives now ten second scenes that flash by then fade to black?

Because as we tread along the threads of social vanity,

we are reeled in by the endless strands of synthetic cares.

They have sewn up our lips into a finger-tip tapestry,

and labelled humankind-ness a crime onto anyone who dares.

So if there are still tears, I beg you let them never run dry.

If a mouth can still speak, may it never succumb to the void and her silence.

If we can still remember to feel, let us be love to one another offline,

for together we are mankind, and within our veins flows the blood of defiance.

© 2022 Greg Megaw | Awakened Arts