As I watch the world in front of me, I notice all of us have at times lost sight of life, which is the one right in the moment staring you in the face. I watched an entire dinner party take pics of their food, and “selfies, and no one was having conversations. This poem isn’t about shaming the “I was here” culture of taking pics, its provoking us to wonder if our need to “be here and seen” via social media is preventing us to see the greater wonders of life pass us by.

 

A “Selfie” and me

I was “here” the other day and time got the better of me, I took a picture in front of the sea, and forgot to float on my back and dream

I lost a day because my battery died, I didn’t enjoy my dinner, as I had no one message me, they must have tried?

I forgot to say I love you, because I was surfing the net and couldn’t find the time, maybe tomorrow there will be less on my mind

I’ve traveled the world and forgot to stop, sit and talk, I should have, could have, would have, is all that I’ve got

I took a selfie to remind me where I’ve been, I searched my pics and noticed backgrounds of experiences I missed

I forgot to take the time to just sit on a rock and breathe, and now age has got the better of me

How many times is an experience in front, and by the time it takes to grab the phone, the moment is lost

My hard drive died and all the pictures have gone

As I sit and search for my life memories, I feel terribly lost that I forgot to “be”, and experience the moments that disappeared in front of me

The only thing left in this world of wonder are my Selfies through a google search of me

Maybe today, I’ll just try to “be”, without a “selfie” and me

Carl Meadows,

January 12, 2016