By Averi Halbert
It’s the phones she said
Shaking her head and tisking at the teenagers walking by
No of course not I say
It’s the society you left for us
How silly of her to think that a small electronic device could take away so much of our time
As I mindlessly swipe through the weather app to avoid awkward eye contact with those I recognize
It’s the phone the voice in my head says
Every time my sisters ask to go to the farmers market and I shake my head no
I’m so tired I say
I scrolled through Instagram until they got home
I stayed up late to do the same
Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed
I put on my hiking boots while watching a few reels
I walked up one hill and then another
I studied my phone trying to find the perfect song
I tripped a little and fell and slid
I got back up and walked some more
Eventually, I got to the part I had been waiting for
I whipped out my phone to take a picture
And another
And another
And another
Which one looks better I say
On the walk back to the car
Endless identical photos
Each one is gorgeous, unquestionably
So focused on the endless photos
I trip over my own feet
I tripped and fell and slid for ages
As I got back into the car I realized I never saw the view myself
Maybe it is the phones I say