Please, let the signal be strong over here.
I use my phone like a lantern
Searching for someone to hold my hand
In broad daylight.
There!
I gain another blue bar
And there
You stand
A few steps above me
Flickering as the signal comes in and out--
You're too afraid to step down, but
Too hurt to ignore yourself.
I bound towards you
Each step magnifying into the rooftop of a building
Digital blue Lego blocks
And I shout:
"Don't you dare
Think about it!"
Our connection had appeared and vanished over the years
Like a plane mistaken for a star
Though I like to believe
I'd defy the satellites
And forge another bond, anew.
I catch you just as you're about to fall.
The holograms shatter
And we're left on the ground
Exactly where, in real life and time
We've always lived.
"But it doesn't feel that way
Does it?" I ask.
You shake your head, lips trembling
Palms against the cool ground in an effort to root yourself
Away from your own small black mirror
Cracked beyond repair.
Our phones contain as much darkness
As light, both that hurt and help the eyes.