Sometimes I want to get away,
Just run.
Farther than I ever have before,
Embracing nature as we are supposed to know it.
That is a lie,
For we don’t.
So many people of other generations
Traveled, walked about the countryside,
Envisioning mountains in the distance
And wondering if they were a mirage.
They would cross through woods
Run through creeks,
And go outside to pick berries.
They walked everywhere,
And never questioned the need
For devices to do the simple things
For them.
They loved.
They trusted.
They believed.
Even religions were peaceful.
Wars were peaceful.
People cared about their country,
Their families,
Their friends.
Now religion is simply a mindset.
Are they really Christians?
Buddhists? Muslims?
Or do they merely go to Church
To repent their sins?
And then, they go commit them again.
Some don’t try to better themselves.
Families leave, friends disappear
In this society where we watch
How much gasoline we use
Because we care more about the ozone
Level than ourselves.
We don’t look inside ourselves anymore.
We don’t experience the joys of running across
The countryside, climbing mountains.
We don’t explore, we don’t look for new berries to pick
Because we are still so caught up in the idea-
The idea of devices doing our own tasks.
Children cannot leave their phones alone during class,
They can’t learn without the use of a computer or
Even a calculator. Yet, in the old days,
Paper was not invented, let alone a computer.
Even vehicles tell people when to stop, when to turn.
A GPS? What is that?
They never used those in the old days!
They new directions, South, West, remember those?
And if they had no clue, they would just ride.
Seriously, who actually goes in the car and aimlessly drives?
Sure, they may say, “Let’s drive towards Charlotte.”
But never, “Let’s turn down this random road just because.”
People in the old days actually wrote letters,
Not texts.
Not emails.
They longed for a phone, and even then,
How many people had them?
A few hundred?
Everywhere you look now, everyone has phones!
No matter the age, 70, 17, 7, or 4!
They are using phones and these absurd things
We call iPads, iPods, MP3 Players, computers.
Why use them? No one can just put down the technology and make it one day.
They would ask, “What can I do now?”
Go for a walk, and just walk-
Not to a friend’s house, not to the market.
Just walk. Go find some berries- and pick them.
But- don’t eat them.
Feed them to the birds,
And while you do that, admire their beauty.
Listen to them tweet and chirp, then watch them hop on by.
How often do you, or you, or even you just step outside
And just look at the animals. We get grossed out by the sight of
A skunk, squirrel, chipmunk. Why? Are they going to
Climb through your ventilation unit
And claw your eyes out?
What about snakes, spiders, scorpions- we are frightened
By their presence! People gather around,
Rangers warn, “Stay back!”
Why? Will they murder us for admiring their inner beauty?
Why not just sit on your front porch and crochet a sweater?
Quilt a blanket for your mom, take care of an elderly neighbor?
Bake a pie just because!
And not out of the box. Start with flour, sugar, a pinch of salt...
Remember? How they all used to do it?
And for the filling, don’t buy fruit from the store,
Grow it in your backyard. Plow the field, plant the seeds,
And just let them all pop up.
Pick a peach, a few berries, and sweeten them,
Fill the pie and bake it,
Not in an electric stove,
In a wooden stove,
And leave it on the perch outside
And know in your heart that no one
Would think of stealing it.
These days you have to walk on the opposite side of the road
Because a house looks unsafe.
There could be alcohol in there, or drugs!
Or worse- someone evil could be in there
Just waiting for someone to walk by and-
BAM!
You’re snatched, begging for your life as they write
A ransom note.
Did that ever really happen in the old days?
Maybe once in a blue moon!
Yet, the whole world would help rescue the victim,
Would they really try that hard today?
Not unless they know them
Or are related.
How sad.
Just to see the world flash by your eyes and
Long to get away from these technology-crazed rude people.
People that forget about chivalry yet bring about the swords.
People that bring about evil
Not equal.
People that once fought for equal rights are now begging for
Equal treatment,
Because apparently they aren’t the same thing.
People forgot-
How to love,
How to trust.
How to dream.
They just sit their lonely on their lonesome couch,
Drink some whiskey and watch TV.
When someone walks by they don’t greet them.
They munch their potato chips,
And apparently that’s good enough.
To just let the world fade by,
Just slipping away
From humans as we know it.
And nobody
Dares
To hold on.