HTML Poem by Mary McCray
(July 2021)
It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time First Stanza: The idea may lay wailing in the cradle >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Second Stanza: The internet was built in a cerebral holy room >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Third Stanza: in the brittle-brown leaves if leaving is what this is? >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Fourth Stanza: a big list of diminishing returns, the search for validation >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Fifth Stanza: who is left who remembers the safe word? >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Seventh Stanza: in raw terror-bytes that float about now in the ether >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Eighth Stanza: Sometimes I think God, we’re in trouble. >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Ninth Stanza: and dismay. It’s unmovable. I know this deep down >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Tenth Stanza: You can take a screenshot of the living; you can take a photo of the dead >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time Last Stanza: with a book? We could burn it, flood it, devour it. >>> It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time It seemed harmless at the time
What you are reading now will disappear
like letters on a foggy mirror.
They are not solid but they are real.