It's Not About You

Cherry

By Ewan

Fri, 15 Jul 2016
  • 1634 reads
9 comments
 

 

You’re two Whatsapps from the promenade,

and keep your mobile in your hand,

at this distance you hear a buzz

- the crackle of news being made.

You thumb your screen to Instagram:

you want your fifteen minutes,

so you run towards the screaming,

seemingly oblivious to the counterflow of pain.

 

Your shaky pixel-poor video has your

at-sign nom-de-phone in the corner:

hashtag atrocity kept at arm’s length

by your phone camera and your own detachment.

You are Jimmy Olsen, you are Marie Colvin

you are a war correspondent for the twittering masses

so you run towards the screaming,

seemingly desperate for this counterfeited fame.

 

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous

Comments

Submitted by VeraClark on

I really appreciate how succintly you've captured 'live' streamer's sickness at play in respect of Nice. One thing, I think it reads much sharper, definitive without 'seeming' in both stanzas. See what you think?

 

Submitted by Ewan on

think it might, but I'm looking for the repetition of the sound in the screaming, seemingly to make the ending of both stanzas similar. I'll think about it.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Ewan on

Equally the seemingly is essential, I think, because can a person who does this really be oblivious and so desperate for attention? I hope at least they feel a little queasy about it afterward.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by VeraClark on

You'd hope so, Ewan.

 

Submitted by celticman on

counterfeit fame is a no brainer. facespook, I'll take a look. 

 

Submitted by london_calling79 on

Great idea. You could certainly mine it further. Take back the second stanza's explanation and fill it with more visceral imagery. Love the Colvin reference. I would have gotten stuck with Kevin Carter and not moved. Felt the anger of this one.

 

Submitted by Ewan on

I guess that's the first time anyone has commented that I explained something... I usually get the reverse complaint.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Ewan

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

You've given a very well writen and descriptive account of how much society has changed and how distance can be easy through a lens...Sad, heartwrenching, unimaginable horror.

Penny4athought

Submitted by airyfairy on

I had a similar conversation with someone - catching something by accident when you're already filming is one thing, but doing it on purpose... I saw an interview with a witness who was a professional photographer, worked in war zones; he took photos, it seemed by instinct, but looking at the shock in his eyes, it was clear even he wasn't sure why.  As for the others - is it a desire for fame, or a feeling that nothing's real if it isn't instagrammed?  We can't rely on memory or feeling any more. 

Thought provoking.