6.29.2013

Update (Forever) in Progress

He sat there,
spinning around in a swivel chair,
frustrated by it all.
His laptop was on the smooth oak counter in front of him.
The system update was progressing rather slowly…

- - - 25% complete - - -

He began to explore the Web while waiting,
quickly becoming entangled.
He signed into Facebook to take a look
at the girls who habitually post pictures –
not believing in their beauty until receiving at least 15 likes,
their confidence depending on the comments. 
He scrolled down through the plagiarized quotes,
the list of borrowed song lyrics – copied & pasted.
What’s the point?
To pretend that you have it figured out more than most?
To make people think on the other side of their screens,
“Hey, yes! By God, that’s it! He’s found it!”
The meaning of life in a post.

- - - 50% complete - - -

 How confusing…
He signed out, began perusing through the links,
looking for his calling,
the dream,
the scheme,
the means
in which he would make all of his money.
How about a firefighter?
A liar A lawyer?
Or what about a psychologist?
He began to lose himself in the lists
somebody else had devised for him.
He took a personality test so someone else could tell him.
INFJ, it said.
“Oh, that was easy.
Wait… what does that even mean?”

- - - 75% complete - - -

& the search continues…
He gave up, put his headphones on,
put his head in his hands in defeat.
Next thing, he woke up,
not quite sure how long he’d seemingly been asleep.
He looked up to find that the laptop was off,
the update undoubtedly complete.
His reflection was looking back at him in the now black & empty screen.
They stared at each other for a while, analyzing, smiling.
His grandmother opened up the door, startling them.
He paused the song in his head.
“There you are,” she said. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Why, yes, here I am.
I guess I’ve been here all along.”

- - - 1%  - - -

6.24.2013

Harmonious

If you think about it,
sharing music with someone else
really means a lot.
Whether we're willingly able to admit it or not,
we seek outside advice
about how to best live our lives.
Music is a convenient,
entertaining, communication medium
that allows us to hear the rhythm
other people live their lives to.
As a result we're allowed to reflect,
& consequently edit,
our own flow.
We listen to music the most when we're together
& when we're alone.
We listen to music when we're allowed
to freely sing as shitty as we please,
when we're allowed to dance
as embarrassingly as we deem fit.
We listen to music so we don't have to pretend.
Our favorite tune is our favorite
because it helps us relate,
helps us feel real & genuine.
When somebody else shares their music with you
they're voluntarily and vulnerably revealing
a piece of their personality.
To me, that's the embodiment of friendship.