WWW.

How would you ever find a stray face that attracted you on the net?

At night, I sit in this darkened room

And stare at the hollow screen,

The World-Wide Web is a crystal ball

Of tides, and hopes, and dreams,

Though the world goes on outside my door

And time, it flows like the sea,

I have no truck with reality

When the web washes over me.

 

For I dredge the depths with a grappling hook

And I haul my catch on board,

Then I read the thoughts of a million minds

That were left on the furthest shore,

While the colours swirl and the lights go dim

And the sounds fade from without,

I float in the mass of cyberspace

'Til the light of the moon goes out.

 

Then emails beat at my cyber door

To ask if I'll let them in,

I cast my net for the viruses,

And choke the Recycle bin,

I stare at faces I've never seen

That float on a cyber wave,

Which disappear as the next comes near

For two are never the same.

 

But one returns, and it stares at me

And I see the limpid eyes,

Like pools in deep lagoons offshore

Where the mermaid lives and dies,

While the lips are full of promises

As false as the deepest sin,

I reach on out to the screen, but find

That the screen won't let me in.

 

Then night on night, like a dread parade

Those pictures come again,

From some lost ancient URL

Long gone from the world of men,

I search and Google in cyberspace

In hopes that you're somewhere there,

But all I have are those limpid eyes

And the bands in your dark brown hair.

 

One night, I'll leap right through the screen

And swim to your blue lagoon,

I'll take bright garlands of pretty flowers

To gladden the cyber gloom,

We'll live forever behind the screen

And our faces will go online,

For the stares of the grim night dwellers

Who are surfing the Web, World-Wide.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[cynthiabuhainbaello]

A very engaging narrative of your cyber exploits and still reveals the lady- killer heart that stalks for pretty faces - hope you met her Matrix-like. Excellent idea for a poem, and ever brilliant in composition, you still stand out as one with the mastery of rhyme and rhythm, poetic flow and now...romance. A unique change from your previous writes of murder and mystery narratives. :-) Like this one!

[Liddie Martinez]

The cyber world holds hope for many a night dweller seeking companions but be leery of that dark-haired maiden, she's probably an expert with Photoshop. Excellent verse from a pro. Thanks for sharing. Liddie

[Tomás Ó C..]

"The world wide web is a crytal ball... I ver thought of it quite like that... and yet in a way it is...

[K. Aurora]

This was so beautiful! I don't think anyone could add a romantic twist to the world wide web; But you have indeed!
I hope some day you do find that one that jumped out at you and caught your attention. A needle in the haystack it may be; But with hope and luck, one never knows.

A truly enjoyable moment eyes existance!

[Kees Kapteyn]

Rush has a song called Virtuality- where in the lyrics say:

"Put your message in a modem
And throw it in a cyber sea"

This is a huge metaphor for the Web, wherein everything we read and input is just a drop in the ocean. This web connects us all in the most amazing way- completes our lives by connecting us with things that we had lost in the past, attaching us to people that will complement us in the future- its truly an amazing thing.
On the flipside yes, it can be frightening- its too free and unmonitored, so evil can lurk anonymously within it. Like monsters in the deep or predators in the woods.

[holly]

For all its subject matter, this reads like something from the late 19th century - a little like Tennyson's "Lady of Shalot" or Coleridge's "Kublai Khan". I have to agree with Lady S. that there's something a little "other-wordly" about the poem. You were probably aiming for that, so congratulations.

[Brette Medb]

Wow, this had flow, imagery, rhythm, and a story, everything a great poem needs. This was perfect in almost every way. The flow and lilting sound of the words had an almost calming, no more like transfixing quality which also went well with the idea of being caught in the web of cyber space. Great write!


Brette

[emz]

WOW this is truly an amazing write, you have put a whole new dimension on the www... very cleverly written... i loved it



x

[lilain]

Ah, this is such an interesting message. I love that there is tenderness in your infatuation with the mystery-cyber-persona - as if you'd only wish to show the most innocent of love. So often people are obsessed and dive into a pool of issues, but your words don't convey that.

This is a lovely piece. I truly love your stuff. Each poem is stunning and a work of art.

Well done!

[Norma J. Jessee]

The internet can be a scary place, We've all heard the horror stories. But it can also be a wonderful place, many, many people have formed long and lasting relationships with people they may never see, Yet many times they know more about the other person than people that live right next door to them. I have neighbors that I don't even know their names yet have lived beside them and watched them coming and going for many years. Then there are friends on the internet thousands of miles away that I know what they are planning on having for dinner among other things.

I think thats what this poem is about. A beautiful relationship being formed by two people who long to be with each other not only mentally but also physically. A very beautiful sentimental poem.

Thank you for sharing this with friends on the Cafe.
Beautifully done.