Coco

Hurricane Lantern

My therapist asked me today;

on a scale of 1 to murder where did I stand?

Because I wanted to watch my kids

walk across stage and graduate high school –

Little Matryoshka could stay nestled

safe within her privilege

A few key stokes is all it would

take to find her

Her social media would tell me

all I need to know about her nestled dolls

Who are her friends, names of her family,

what kind of interest and hobbies she has

Scrolling intently, making diligent

mental notes of familiar places around town

A sneer curls my lip as my brow furrows

above my manic eyes…I chuckle

Everyone puts their trust in Social Media!

Living that Instagram life! Click, click post!

How many dolls does she have tucked away?

My homicidal tendencies flicker like a lamplight

Dancing behind the glass; I am an elegant flame –

as the kerosene of collective trauma swishes below

Should her nestled dolls dance to close to me

My broken glass flame will turn them all to dust

In Social Media We Trust

We pledge allegiance to our phones 

that keep us fused together

And to the Republic for which we

pay

One Nation Under Google, 

Facebook too, with Twitter, Tic Tok,

Instagram and Snapchat Filters for all.