pilderwasser

pilderwasser unlimited T-shirts pilder what? knew spew snap shots autoBIKEography RAGBRAI  ---P--- slide shows phot-o-rama 1/2 x 3/32 links

commencement continuum

January 19, 2010

In the beginning, intimidated by
the pressure of unused potential
the sight of so much ripe white space untainted
the calendar    the schedule
the clockwork of productive production
the time is now        now is the time

In the end, intimidated by
the pressure to live up to expectations
the need to meet or beat what came before
you’re next in line in a succession
of successes that successfully succeeded
you’re only as good as your last kick

In the middle, oblivious somewhere    happy medium
chugging along   plugging away   shrugging     at play
unburdened by   back then it was better
undistorted by nostalgia
un intimidated by   by then it should improve  
free from futuristic prediction

I had to walk five miles to school uphill in the snow
it’s so twenty thirty years ago
there they go    with the   kids these days
did you ever sit at the big kid table
propped up on two phonebooks
have you ever seen a phonebook?

take a moment to contemplate not so long ago
cordless phones the size of Montana
taken out to the mailbox    the neighbors porch
the backyard feet soaking in the kiddy pool
beep warning beep    return to docking station
your batteries are low

the look and feel of hand-tooled leather
the due date rubber stamped library book
back before barcodes
the smell of a musty thesaurus
the binding crackle of a 19-pound dictionary
you won’t find that on the google

free wireless with any purchase
four-top at the coffee shop
four people     four laptops
no conversation     no interaction
people having a common experience
sitting near each other       separately

take a look at that…are you kidding me

the end      is only the beginning
Add Comment

5 Comments

bobby b said...

the end of networking socialy and the beginning of social networking. fucking computerized hipsters. Got to go, my laptop needs charged.

Posted January 19, 2010 05:29 PM | Reply to this comment
pilder replied to bobby b...

you haven't updated facebook for like 5 hours, are you OK?

Posted January 19, 2010 08:28 PM | Reply to this comment
. said...

i love the emp for the 'actually they're kinda cool' headset audio tour. patrons talking to each other in elevated volumes to hear each other over the audio tour-rad!. its like heard of wildabeasts, 'mwaw mmmwaw maw maw' is all they're really saying.

Posted January 19, 2010 09:25 PM | Reply to this comment
Cocoa Puff said...

I remember going on a tour of Alcatraz when I was 15. They had self guided tours that consisted of people walking around silently with headphones. No talking, just the sound of feet shuffling around the cells. It was one of the creepiest things I've ever witnessed.

Posted January 20, 2010 09:50 AM | Reply to this comment
Bobby B replied to pilder...

Facebook is now censored in China. Time to freak out.

Posted January 20, 2010 12:54 PM | Reply to this comment

Add Comment

Your Name: (Required)
Comment:

Please enter the 4 to 6 character security code:

(This is to prevent automated comments.)