Flash On

Come on everyone

I hear one of them say

From the hermit shell bathroom

That kept me safe today

Safe from the questions

And the obligations

And the vibrant implications

But I unlock the door

Clip clock towards the beehive

Trying to feel alive

I join the formation

Together we chant

The age-old incantation

Fivefourthreetwoone

And yell Cheese!

Everybody while the flash

Is still on

Bright and harsh

Like a construction site

Or a faltering street lamp

Struggling to burn at night

And we separate now

That our duties have been met

Go back to our lawn chairs

Sipping something grey and wet

But one day

After the sunrise

That comes after our last sunset

Someone will see that picture

And think ‘this is how I’m supposed to be’

Shining and happy and pretty and free

This camera is a manipulative machine

Born in an era with room for a dream

Now it saves all these moments

I want to erase

I can see the pretending

Etched deep in the face

Because they all look the same

From this side of the hill

I give up on the universe

Let’s make a deal…