Credo in the Age of Facebook
I believe friend is a noun, not a verb—
and unfriend is a contradiction in terms.
I believe it takes a volcanic eruption to unmountain a mountain
and unfriending a friend should take no less seismic an event.
I believe in the utter beauty of the unuttered opinion
that takes the time to marinate in the brine of thought
instead of being served up instantly and indisputably as fact.
I believe a sumptuous meal is meant to be eaten, not uploaded
so please don’t bring your smart-enough-to-know-better phone
to my table. I have not set a place for Siri.
I believe the most social of media is still a knock on the door
and shared laughter over a cup of coffee
that 643 people do not have to read about in real time.
I believe my beliefs make me the anachronism
I have always believed myself to be,
and friend, that’s okay. It’s just who I am…
“Like” it or not.
*
Gloria Heffernan is the author of the poetry collection, What the Gratitude List Said to the Bucket List, (New York Quarterly Books), and Exploring Poetry of Presence: A Companion Guide for Readers, Writers and Workshop Facilitators (Back Porch Productions). She has written two chapbooks: Hail to the Symptom (Moonstone Press) and Some of Our Parts, (Finishing Line Press). Her work has appeared in over 100 publications including Columbia Review, Stone Canoe, and Yale University’s The Perch. For more information, please visit her website at www.gloriaheffernan.wordpress.com.