198 choices under thumb
endless commercials
mindless sitcoms
press buttons on the remote
4 and then 5
to escape a breakdown
building inside
from reality
raw reality
and the headlines
don’t help at all

Another plane crash
earthquake
avalanche
multiple homicides
all over the world
only two coups today
climbing
climbing
climbing
repeated every 10 minutes or so
disappearing
into the top of the picture tube

At upper left
temperature steady
at 60 degrees
barometer 103 and falling
go outside
maybe jog or a bike ride
to avert a potential stroke
heart attack
according to the latest medical study

But as always
there’s that infernal digital clock
located at bottom right corner
of the screen
ticking my life away
one second at a time
to Musaked Beatles’ tunes



© 1988

1,110 hits as of November 2023

04/16/2014

Author's Note: Back in the day, long before CNN, the Internet, paid advertising, etc., TV channels would sign off after the 11 o’clock news or a late night movie. My cable TV provider offered a 24 hour service/channel, consisting of local time, weather, and headlines from around the world, rotated and updated to elevator music. It was a good channel to fall asleep to.

Posted on 04/16/2014
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti