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Logged Off

by Chris Sorrenti


now and then
it's nice to go back...

to watch a screen
that doesn’t demand input
listen to a broadcast
without having to download
the latest audio player

to chat with friends
face to face
read their expressions
instead of e-mail
see them truly smile
and laugh
as opposed to an LOL!

to drive a car
instead of a mouse
shop in a store
actually touch the merchandise
before buying
then head out to the country
witness scenery and wildlife
firsthand
rather than in a .jpeg

to reacquaint with hobbies
that once gave us individuality
defined who we were
not what we should be

...would all become

© 2000

2,320 hits as of December 2023

12/17/2007

Posted on 12/18/2007
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Coleman Demiurge on 12/18/07 at 05:23 AM

Very true; there was a time when technology fascinated me, now I rather dispise it most of the time. Yeah, great poem indeed. You wrote this in 2000 then? Well, I guess it's nice to see that things have gotten so much better then, no? Ha!

Posted by Nanette Bellman on 12/18/07 at 05:24 AM

Way to capture what we as a society have lost touch with Chris. Well done!!

Posted by Mary Frances Spencer on 12/18/07 at 06:13 AM

Yes...let's all "log off" and go on a hike (then write about it later!)... MFS

Posted by Mary Frances Spencer on 12/18/07 at 06:14 AM

Yes...let's all "log off" and go on a hike (then write about it later!)... MFS

Posted by Alisa Js on 12/18/07 at 08:02 AM

What a refreshing read, Chris... thanks for the timely reminder.. aloha..;-0

Posted by George Hoerner on 12/18/07 at 02:23 PM

And you don't have to go all that far to be in the wilderness. But it's been a long time since I was in Ottawa. Too many of us don't know how to relate any longer except at a safe distance thru the Inet. I have so many friends. At least I think I do. I get a lot of emails in which I am one of the 300 addresses!

Posted by A. Paige White on 12/18/07 at 02:37 PM

As I was being driven through my state's capital last night to a restaurant for dinner, my sweetheart and I started wondering exactly how different it was only 100 years ago. Only 100 years ago so many things were so radically different. I'm very grateful we have such luxury and the convenience of today's technology but what you're speaking of is definitely a proportionate problem associated with such advancements. How to maintain a balance?

Posted by Alison McKenzie on 12/18/07 at 04:06 PM

Chris, you know I share your heart in this!!! Our senses cannot be properly employed without all you've written about...someone's scent and how that interacts with ourself; eye to eye contact, facial expressions, touch; the grandness of an experience cannot be duplicated in "here" on a consistent enough basis to replace our outside, RL experiences. Nicely written!

Posted by Gregory O'Neill on 12/18/07 at 07:37 PM

Hi Chris...and you are spot-on once again. The chief product of any automated society (and where we are headed) is a widespread and deepening sense of boredom. We will continue to need poetry evermore. Thanks.

Posted by Laura Doom on 12/18/07 at 08:41 PM

...and 'Courier New' rendering of this font of all wisdom :) I'm told that many people now use the phrase "I'm logging off now" to indicate that they're heading home [from a night out in the 'real' world - presumably for the inevitable logon in the virtual world :]

Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 12/19/07 at 02:25 AM

Right on! Gotta have plenty of logged off time to keep a sense of reality and connectedness!

Posted by David R Spellman on 12/20/07 at 01:32 AM

Yep - the "good ol' things" will never really grow old. And the real will always be real. Nice outlook on the societal changes with the touch of the real pleasures of vis-a-vis, hands on down-to-earth pleasure!

Posted by Paganini Jones on 12/21/07 at 09:53 PM

Eloquently stated. Impressivly simple. A pleasure to read good writing, as always.

Posted by Glenn Currier on 06/23/08 at 06:45 PM

Well, I would say lol... but... Yes, the pleasures delivered to me from the flatscreen seem all to superficial when compared to a delicious conversation with an old friend, or the smell and taste of a hotdog while watching a ball game. Cool poem.

Posted by Joan Serratelli on 03/04/09 at 06:02 PM

A very accurate portrait of today's society.Face-to face communication is becoming archaic. Good food for thought!

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