Poetry: Ode to Snapchat

My hands reached out from behind the screen

and counted her ribs to practice

dendrochronology, the art of tree ring dating

three times a minute

and grew weary

His torso leaned in from outside the story

and casted a shadow to prepare for

companionship, the sport of tightrope walking

four times a day

and grew paranoid

Their eyes glided around my skin

and examined a clue or two for

misbehavior, the language that tells time

five years to one photo

and grew fickle

Your magic spread beyond the moment

and undid my flaws for

commodification, the mechanism for survival

six lifetimes but none lived

and grew hypnotic

Our time ended right around the corner

and I miss you because

there’s comfort in comparison

& permanence in illusion

But I won’t look back

until I abandon dendrochronology for love

tightrope walking for mountains

misbehaviors for creating change

and comfort for acceptance

Dear snapchat

You let moments slip away unscratched

And love censored

You made life so accessible

But living too hard

So do you agree?

We are on a journey to search for answers

For boredom, fickleness, and paranoia

For fear of change, fear of impermanence, for illusions

And do you admit?

We are caving into one, two, three seconds photographs

When there are glass ceilings

For us to shatter in every crevice