Thirty Minutes Scrolling

Originally crafted as spoken word.

Thirty minutes scrolling
Thumb slides up the screen, the memes are trolling

Thirty minutes, a measurable construct
Like years added up, or some level of human conduct

Minute five, it’s memories galore
Next thing ya know you click see more

Minutes pass we’re up to twenty
Nothing else to do? Look up, you’ll find plenty

Thirty minutes is never enough
Like taking a drag, blowing a puff

Stimulation seeping into the brain
If you don’t check it now, you’ll go insane

The world used to be full of faraway lands
Now with a touch, in the palm of our hands

In just a few scrolls, the thirty minutes end
The same time it takes to dial a friend

A quick cardio or two rounds of HIIT
The meditation pillow could have gotten a sit

Thirty minutes to cook up a nice dish
Walk the dog, pet the cat, stare at the fish

Thirty minutes could mean ten pages of a book
I’m peering over your shoulder just to take a look

And, oh wait, it’s an e-book. You’re reading my work
Dang it, I’m sorry now I feel like a jerk

That’s thirty minutes scrolling put to good use
Although these gadgets see lots of abuse

I hear a ding, a vibration, a flash
“You gonna get that?” I ask before I dash

With a sideways glance, your finger hovers over the bell
You’ve been reading all this time, so you might as well

Say, it’s been thirty minutes scrolling, oughtn’t you be done?
I glance again to the screen, this time the corner – page one.

Hi, I’m Taylor-Leigh, a movement artist, writer, & dabbler in spoken word/ poetry. I value self-expression, authentic connection, & intentional living.