You Play to Be Seen
You play to be seen,
giving it all,
pretending.
Becoming a pattern
with adjusted timing,
tuned tone,
rehearsed smile.
The tremor polished from your voice,
rehearsed into an ambient soundscape.
You play to be seen
by this audience
that never leaves,
never yawns.
This audience shares
but never blinks,
never cares.
This you bare.
Recalling the child,
back in the day,
performing to toys,
yearning
for the fanfare
in fantasy.
Reliving the carnival
of made-up connection.
©Samia Oldman
CONTEXT
You are reading dystopian fantasy poetry collection the Hush Halo. After the Great Optimization a privileged group of people wired themselves tightly into the system by aligning with it and fully integrating. Systoics believe they’ve perfected themselves by stripping away everything that slows them down.
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This is my favorite so far! Restacking! Your poetry so sooo distinctive. Like no one in the world could spin words and thoughts like you do. That is what makes it so strong.