Trouble in The Office

Then and Now

Remember? We used to write on paper
Agonize over the type of pen to use
And labor with penmanship
Careful with writing long paragraphs
Because once it's done you can't recycle,
Cut or paste to sections where you want them.

We fold a thick sheaf to fit in an envelope,
Troupe all the way to the post office,
Queue and wait for the officer
To weigh our parcel and ask for payment.
We insert into slot "International"
Then the waiting starts

Sometimes it never ends --
When mail gets lost
Or the addresed has moved
Or it's sent back to you and
The postman got too curious
So it doesnt.

And now we write the same things
Yet more frequently and quickly
On hyperactive electronic signals
*Compose* *To* *Cc* or *Bcc*
Copy and paste from another's letter
Maybe Fw: the one you sent to your cousin
Telling him about the little pasta restaurant
That was too quaint to miss
And hyperlink here and there a quote or two
From your sis's.blogspot.com which you
Found so utterly disturbing

*SEND*! There it was. And is.
Right there on his screen,
And usually there's no excuse not to see
The note
The news
The latest
The rumor
Your proposal
Your break-up line
Your sorry song

But
The addressed changed addies
Or the inbox was full
Or the DEL key was hit
Unopened, unread
And there goes technology
Connecting the human race for you

posted by Elyss @ 5:27 PM