The Internet

Max had an idea for a poetry exercise. I am all about poetry exercises. This is the result. Can you guess who wrote which one?

The Internet

i.
Someone recently told me about the “internet.”
Man, a lot of good stuff, a lot of good stuff.
Some bad stuff, but a lot of really stellar information.
I found myself being propelled forward by electronic links as if I were playing hopscotch.
My friend said that I was “surfing.” Ok.
Have you checked this thing out?
I mean, somebody is really on to something here.
I have gone through screens and screens of what seem to be an endless encyclopedia encompassing everything from useful to useless.
My friend called them “pages”…..web pages, but it still looks like a constantly altering monitor image to me. Whatever.
But what a neat invention, huh?
I kind of want to keep it to myself though, and my friend who told me about it.
If more people found out about it, I don’t think it would be as cool.
I wonder who makes all of the “pages.”
That person must be pretty smart, and old.
I hope they don’t die too soon.
It would suck to lose this thing right after I found out about it.

ii.
Someone recently told me about the "internet."
I was skeptical (I always am about these sorts of things).
He was so elated about the pros of the technology,
That he almost dropped his lit cigarette during our private smoke break.
"I won't create a need for myself that will fight for my attention,
Like a hungry dog. I won't yield to marketing ploys and idea-speak.
I want results!"
After I stopped shouting and did some quick research, I judged that it was a reasonably useful tool.
This person came to me and shared facts, stats, and Sharon Stone's birthdate--
All data readily accessed from this mysterious, somehow invisible web of information.

And that's when I was wowed.

"Think of how this could change my life," I thought.
I went to my workplace the next day
Determined to not be distracted by my ruminations on the matter.
The same guy who had originally told me about it stopped me when I entered my building.
"But what a neat invention, huh?" he said smarmily.
I acted unimpressed, but secretly was pleased with my own knowledge.
I realized that it would be beneficial to write something down about my encounter with this technology.
Not just that, but that I would lock the paper up in a safe.
It would suck to lose this thing right after I found out about it.