Retina of the Mind's Eye
by Christopher Fried
Across the home, around the neighborhood,
screens small to large turn off and on. The lights
bleed out the windows as libations poured
as one to new, mysterious idols.
Reality, in turn, becomes confused,
as something less than what’s viewed. Acolytes,
these surge in simulated fears and pleasures
while the new gods with images cajole
the assembly to move to weirder thoughts,
the congregated to become less bored
as simple patterned provocation wanes.
As the screens pulse, they can’t resist the pull,
whether sharp LED or megabytes,
and bow their heads in the light of their lords.
screens small to large turn off and on. The lights
bleed out the windows as libations poured
as one to new, mysterious idols.
Reality, in turn, becomes confused,
as something less than what’s viewed. Acolytes,
these surge in simulated fears and pleasures
while the new gods with images cajole
the assembly to move to weirder thoughts,
the congregated to become less bored
as simple patterned provocation wanes.
As the screens pulse, they can’t resist the pull,
whether sharp LED or megabytes,
and bow their heads in the light of their lords.
Christopher Fried lives in Richmond, VA, and works as an ocean shipping logistics analyst. A poetry collection, All Aboard the Timesphere, was published in 2013. His novel, Whole Lot of Hullabaloo: A Twenty-First Century Campus Phantasmagoria, was published in 2020. Recently, he was an advisor on the 1980s science fiction film documentary, In Search of Tomorrow (2022). Currently, his work has centered on 80s/retrowave culture and the effects of the intersection of the analog and digital worlds.