To be completely honest, this poem was born from boredom. I was in class and, having finished my work, turned to a new page in my notebook and wrote down a few lines. Then a few more. Then a couple more, just for good measure. I ended up with a poem! Well, I ended up with three. Only one is here today, though, and that’s ‘Wasted’, a commentary on how adults view modern kids’ childhoods as useless and wasted, largely due to screen time and not going outside like in the ‘good old days’. If it were to have a sister poem, I think ‘Blended’ (available to read in Potted Purple Mag’s fourth issue, just click here) pairs with it very well. But, without further ado, here is the poem!
Wasted
Did you catch a silver fish
in the pond by the estate
and watch it wriggle in your palm
until all the excitement was gone
so you let it go
back in the pond?
No? Childhood wasted. Why
weren’t you zooming around the houses
on a bike too big with a helmet too small
or splashing into sewer brooks
to play with all the rats
and shopping trolleys?
Don’t tell me. A screen. You
expanded your horizons–digitally.
Pixel waves over a fake beach,
avatars, large heads and no arms
(when you looked down):
such an experience.
You spoke, and listened,
you learned, and loved.
But all from your room
so no one understands.
Oskar Leonard 