familiar

a sweet disorder

rings the bell,

howls at the north of words,

drops face in hands.

distance weighs on the blue penciler…

Alexa, hey, Siri.

hey, dummy. 

what’s on my Google calendar?

insults on an infinite loop.

between two virtual assistants,

toggle tarnished accents

with varnished questions.

familiar?

on the piano,

bust heads all in a row,

brain matter lineup matters.

intelligence quotients arranged them.

is it magic?

virus, bacteria transmogrify

human evolution and development,

damage, shrinkage 

coupled with stress and isolation

after a pandemic, after an upheaval

demands, burdens of life weigh heavier.

experts say, hang on to something 

familiar. 

leatherbound. the book. the sculpture. the painting.

my pillow. is it magic?

hermit…shut-in syndrome,  Hikikomori is spreading

through the digitally connected…

hopelessness, relationship fatigue, inevitability, and fear.

crisis after crisis, a crisis of conscience. 

shake up the malaise, and go deeper inside yourself.

look it up…AI is listening.

virtual assistant,

can artificial intelligence teach empathy?

if it could knock, if it could see,

no trigger phrase is needed,

familiar blue penciler,

cursive connection.

opportunity tracking, teach empathy.