FINGER AND THUMB

          FINGER AND THUMB

The airwaves are throbbing with a constant whitter,

Endless drivel posted on social media, facebook or twitter.

From seeing pictures of babies that you’ll never meet,

To somebody with an I phone telling you what they eat.

Yet our schools are full of children, who cannot read,

Stuffing their faces with fast food, this throwaway breed.

Clutching their phones, in touch with thousands in faraway places,

Never looking up once at their neighbours faces.

The written word is being usurped and undone,

As abbreviations take over, spelling and grammar have gone.

“In Maccy D’s at mo, dis burger is gr8, lol”

Inane nonsense spewed out over the medium, taking its toll.

The elderly get lonelier; offspring ignore them in the scrum,

Where face to face contact is dismissed by finger and thumb.

The last generation chatted over fence and sent a letter,

Can anybody say that the future is better?

The advent of fibre-optic and high speed broadband,

Has brought people together from every distant land.

But, the truth is we don’t talk quite as much,

An Email or tweet doesn’t have that personal touch.

Shops where you can serve yourself and go,

To garage forecourts where no one’s on show.

E cards sent at Christmas without any thought,

Just press the button, the effort was nought.

No more chatting in ques, money out of the wall,

Playing a match on your own, no more kicking a ball.

Mans social skills are dying, let’s talk face to face,

Instead of hiding behind screens when contacting the human race.

Phil Hall     September 2012