The Altar

   My friend,

the television is a marvelous thing,

I agree.

Such a marvel of technology

so many forms of entertainment

all at the push of a button

or twist of the dial it tells you not to touch.

I know that you

imagine yourself to be a god

pick and choose what to watch when...

All of a sudden I walk in.

"Hi, how's it going?"

No response.

Your eyes never move from

the flickering foreverephemeral

images, ghosts, artificial

laughterlife.

I'm here - do you notice?

Do you care?

Do I exist in your safe little world,

you and the seductive monster?

No use; I am only a real human. I am not

programmed, scheduled, turned on or off at a whim.

I can't compete with

the thousand

faces, false feelings

all contained in that

object of mass worship.