My Tiny Town

Ever played Township?

I lost myself in a tiny town
Where I could build anything I wanted.
I dug for sunken treasure
And sold goods for thousands of dollars.

For many months the time stopped
Outside this little town.
I saw no death or suffering
And no new thought was found.

My vegetables flourished
And I was rewarded time and time again
With special four-leaf clovers
And 50 newfound friends.

Back and back and back I fell
To a land of order and beauty,
My own perfect little world
to hide from every duty.

Until one day I noticed piles
of my unopened mail,
Loads of unwashed laundry,
Air that had gone stale.
The smell of closed-in spaces hit
The dust of neglect felt ugly.

I turned my eyes away,
back to my little town,
Where dust bunnies don't accumulate
And laundry doesn't need to be done.
But once I had seen the signs
That another world needed me,
My town became just a dollhouse
An escape from reality.

The child in me tugged hard
to lose myself again
But I could not go back the same
I could no longer pretend

Perhaps I will return someday
When this world wearies me
But no more wonder will I find
Waking up, I see
I cannot hide in tiny spaces
That are safe and sound
Not while real friends out here
Lie sleeping on the ground

Author's Note

Just a draft I'm tinkering with still, we'll see where it goes . . . Usually I don't edit my writing, it just comes out, but I wasn't happy with the first free-write of this one.

Reviews

[Tamika]

I like this, it is an issue that I know of two people in my life going through. I don't agree with spending much time on video games, because you can so easily lose control and fall into the habit of constantly playing and losing all sense of reality, and you captured this wonderfully; so well done.

[Marianne Rose]

A lot of us are caught up in this- my husband introduced me to this game, and we found ourselves playing together and commenting n each others' towns. After a while I realized how it reflected our culture- the whole point being to buy and sell, and make money rather than the design element I first enjoyed. Now I go back and it bores me quickly, I'd rather write! Thanks for reading and reflecting, and your kind words.

[Coyote Poetry]

I liked the thoughts, the journey and the logical ending.
Perhaps I will return someday
"When this world wearies me
But no more wonder will I find
Waking up, I see
I cannot hide in tiny spaces
That are safe and sound
Not while real friends out here
Lie sleeping on the ground "
The above lines. Real world isn't so pretty. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Marianne Rose]

It is quite a journey into this small iPad and back, over and over again. Yes, real towns aren't always pretty. Learning to go to nature for beauty is much better than creating a fantasy town. Thank you for your reflections and review.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome Marianne.

[Teddybearlee]

Now this is an addiction I know all too well. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I traded in alcohol for online games, so many gifts come with curses. This was also a contributing factor in the loss of my loved one..I introduced her to this world, and the boy she is now living with, she met through a game we played...I quit for months after she left, but here I am, back in a different game, my escape from reality. I do admit, I am a bit better at taking care of life while feeding my need to escape though, yet every second I'm playing, I could be spending with my daughter, but I tell myself I do need "me" time, and I don't feel it has the same control it use to. A very interesting subject to tackle indeed, and very well expressed.

[Marianne Rose]

I like to hear bits and pieces of your story to fill in the subtext behind your poetry. I too have little "me" time, but I must admit, I have more of it when I dn't engage in distractions and addictions. Still, sometimes you just can't think, can't feel anymore, can't process all you've taken in over a day, a week or a lifetime. Then the game, TV, movies, reading, and yes, other more harmful addictions, let you turn off everything and do something automatic. Wish I could meditate instead, but my mind doesn't settle down unless I'm with a group field meditating together. Anyway, thanks for sharing your life, and your reactions to this piece.

[Marianne Rose]

also, hang in there, we conquer these things a little at a time with help from an inner source if we ask for it.

[Teddybearlee]

Just to be clear, the "alcohol phase" was wayyy before I met her :) That was actually one of the issues, she suddenly wanted to start going to bars and what not, and by the time we met, I had quit that lifestyle, completely, so 8 years after meeting, she decides she wanted to check it out...after we were married, and had a little one...

[Marianne Rose]

Good to hear it- thanks for clarifying. Sad though that she got caught up in what you had left behind. How often this happens!