BB Grey–musings

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Do you recall the days gone by,
Before the net lit up the sky?
When phones were fixed upon the wall,
And life moved slow, if moved at all.

Messages waited by the door,
A scribbled note, not something more.
No pings or dings to steal the day,
Just peace until you made your way.

The world was smaller, sure, it’s true,
But close enough to walk it through.
We gathered ’round one glowing screen,
At seven sharp for Walt Disney’s scene.

The news was heard, not scrolled or streamed,
Our facts were searched, our answers dreamed.
In libraries dim, with dust and grace,
We found the world in one small place.

We asked the wise—Miss Thompson knew,
Or Mr. Jones from down the avenue.
A tape would play our favorite song,
We’d bike it over, sing along.

We didn’t text, we didn’t swipe,
We showed up live, the human type.
A knock, a laugh, a kitchen light,
A porch swing creaking into night.

But don’t mistake me for a fool,
This modern age has tools that rule.
To heal the sick, to learn, connect,
The good is vast, the impact, direct.

A voice from France, a cure from Spain,
A thousand thoughts within one brain.
The internet has made us near,
Yet somehow far from those once dear.

The world now spins inside our hand,
Its weight immense, its reach so grand.
But I recall a gentler pace,
A time when we could lose the race.

No race at all, just time to be,
No status check, no live feed plea.
Just you and me beneath the stars,
With silence loud and no memoirs.

So here I stand, both proud and torn,
Of all that’s grown since I was born.
But still I miss those simple nights,
The world contained in porchlight sights.

When swinging by meant someone cared,
And news was something that we shared.
No need to post or even send—
Just be, just breathe, just call a friend.

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