21st Century Realism (Poem)
- Melissa Rose Miller
- Sep 28, 2020
- 1 min read
“Zoom cameras must be on”
foreign faces behind
distant screens with some
opaque boxes of names
that you’ll never put a face to.
“You must learn to love reading”
A novel a week, four hours of sleep
Oh, the horror! The Horror!*
my once greatest pleasure,
now my most loathsome chore.
“You need to have work experience”
routinely nine to five to stay alive
plagued by the devilish
Uncle Sam— I want you
to make money your God.
“Oh, but your twenties are your best”
enslaved to Education
missing yet another celebration
I’m sorry I can’t answer
The phone right now…
leave a message
to my list of unreturned calls.
“Self care and mental health!”
to do lists replace meditation
stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation
warm bath, but can’t relax
Drowning…
Drowning…
Drowning…
*reference to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
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