Living in a Vortex

My computer crashed on me the other day, the inspiration to this poem.

What happened to those days when a photo was real?
When we held them in our hands and knew they existed,
When they were what we saw and not edited.

What happened to those days when there were music CDs?
When musicians were fully paid for all they've done,
When a CD collection wasn't an antique one.

What happened to those days when we wrote letters?
When we wrote every word in pen,
when we wrote to individuals and not in tens.

What happened to those days when we met face to face?
when you gave me a hug to soothe my soul,
When I could hear you laugh instead of reading 'lol'.

What happened to those days when we had a life?
When experiences were real and shared with a few,
When our lives weren't virtual and stored in a cube.

How long has it been since you held a photo, or listened to that CD?
How long has it been since you wrote a letter, or came to see me?
It was the day before you forgot my real name,
It was the day before we got lost in this digital game.

Author's Note

Version 2.