Remote Poem by Paul Holmes

You hold the World in your hand,
With the touch of a button you view
Elephants and lions and zebras
Or, koala bear and kangaroo.

A quick flick of a finger
And other images fill your room;
Death, destruction, disaster,
A continuous conveyor-belt of gloom.

Another press of a button
And the misery is instantly gone;
Music booms out of the speakers
Raising the spirits of everyone.

Soon bored, you press the remote,
Once more images appear:
Flames and black smoke billows
From skyscrapers stirring fear.

Ah, relief, a tropical beach scene,
Blue sky, soft sand, gently lapping waves.
No image of starving Africans
Burying children in desert graves.

Yes, you hold the World in your hand
And, according to your whim
You can see such remote places
A contrast of sweet beauty and utterly grim.

So many channels to choose from
Which ones shall you select?
Will those people feel distant, remote?
Or will you feel an affinity and connect?