(With apologies to W. H. Auden and the G. P.O. Film Unit)
This is the web transcending the border
Moving the bits for the Amazon order.
Packets of data stream from the computer
Into the Cloud via the broadband router.
LEDs flickering, in every hue
The red, the amber, the green and the blue,
Prompting for passwords now and then –
You’ll have to connect with a VPN.
Emails from Scotland and the South of France,
Emails from uncles, cousins and aunts,
Emails from everyone’s nearests and dearests
Emails from crazy conspiracy theorists.
Emails purporting to be from Vietnam
Which didn’t get filtered out as spam,
Here’s one for services tax-exempt
And another with links that’s a phishing attempt.
Clever, stupid, short and long
The CAPITALISED and the spelt all wrong.
And pages that make an encyclopaedia
And libellous rants on social media.
Video conference in your own front room
Through Skype and Facebook and Teams and Zoom.
And apps for thousands of situations:
Yes, timid lovers’ declarations
But also for those who are feeling frustrated
Apps with material that’s clearly X-rated.
For there’s nothing online that cannot be bought.
What on Earth would Wystan Hugh Auden have thought?
