Monday, May 20, 2019

Trying to Be a Mensch

If I don’t look at my phone,
I’ll have encounters in the world.
All aloof and alone.
My, how tall we’ve grown!
And by "tall," I mean "old."
But if I don’t look at my phone,
I’ll remain in the contact zone,
and I’ll meet other little boys and girls.
All aloof and alone.
Trudging like an ant through time,
I found myself at a fiddle festival.
I only used my phone
to catch old-time fiddle tunes—
especially ones played by Earl
White, who was neither aloof nor alone.
My favorite was Old Cumberland,
more than a little crooked and squirrely—
now recorded on my phone.
All aloof and alone.