Until You Hit the Bottom
Sometimes you go to YouTube
As if there’s no other choice
As if no books were sitting on the bedside table
As if you never learned about relaxation or the mind
As if reading were something
You used to do
As if you need to scroll
Right now, at 11:22
As if YouTube will bring you
Some sort of actual delight
Real dollop of pleasure
You scroll down….slowly at first
The algorithmic dance
Designed to compel your thumb
Toward the screen
But you manage to wait
And see what’s down below
Maybe something more funny
Something new or really old
Something unexpected down there
Or maybe because
Scrolling often begets more scrolling
Eventually, you’ve considered
Fifteen different clips
But resisted them all
You’ve descended deep into the scroll
You keep going though it gets murky
Darker and stranger down there
Eventually…you’ve hit the bottom
The algorithm provides a last ditch attempt… you should rent old movies
You’ve accidentally won
You’ve hit the nothing jackpot
Now you can shut it down
Fade to black
And maybe even sleep.
