A Poem a Day (223): Microphones

This one is about people who spy on other people. And I got to thinking about ‘Stasiland’ by Anna Funder. A extraordinary book about extraordinary people living at a time when privacy and freedoms were stolen by the state, and people were forced to incriminate their friends, colleagues and relatives or face the consequences for disobedience. They lacked the freedoms and right to a private life that we take for granted. Everything you did was watched. Everything you said was listened to. And people just disappeared.

Microphones

Just press the switch to listen,

Place your ear to the glass

And hear what’s said on air –

An announcement to the nation

To caress our wand’ring ears.

A bodiless voice spirals out

On a stream of endless words.

But this is no public accouncement,

It’s a conversation between friends

And you’re vacuuming it up.

You even hit ‘record’ to replay.

It’s a dimlit reminder of the Stasi,

That controlled, frightening state,

Where people spied on family,

Paranoia ran rife and people died.

How are you loving every minute?

All this listening – an addiction

You aren’t even aware of.

Everyone’s life is yours, you think,

And you can’t stop. You won’t stop.

All these voices, other people’s secrets,

Regurgitated morsels of another life.

Meaningless vowels pour out,

But you collect and taste them all.

These invisible people. This invisible world.

Copyright Vickie Johnstone, July 27, 2020