A fast moving world,

Young ones wanting to grab hold

Ride it out along with their friends

Seeming okay with everything

As long as they face it together

Content in commonality

Enough distractions to occupy their minds

Phones, social media, always connected

Even with headphones or earbuds

Leaving the emptiness of nature

To be unheard.

Preferring the music of their peers

To the timeless silence of the night

Always filling their ears & brains

With the tunes & podcasts of the day -

All made to sell.

"We can fill in the blank spots" tech purrs.

"We can pass for a face to face encounter."

As the screens mimic reality

Presenting it in pixilated, observed, form

Every comment, every opinion -

All recorded for eternity.

A world under surveillance -

A.I. to mine the data -

Able to pull out any relevant information

Regardless of the query.

"Immerse children"

Purr the devices

"It is all safe & fun here."

And if there is trouble

There is always another app -

Operated & monitored, of course with

The reality of artificial observation.