Technology Fiction

Technology Fiction

I guess I’ve been around long enough now
to remember Dick Tracy wearing an Apple Watch,

Walt Disney promising that one day everyone
would have a wireless phone that would “let you see
the person that you are talking to”,

Captain Kirk getting hot food in less than three minutes
from a built-in microwave in the Starship Enterprise’s Galley,

Rod Serling announcing that “Invisible Satellites”
are watching our every movement,

Mr. Spock talking directly to the computer
and having a simulated voice respond instantly
with up-to-date information and occasional sarcasm,

Robert Heinlein telling us that soon we will be able to buy
a personal robot “to walk the dog and vacuum the living room”,

George Orwell declaring that, “Truth Is Fiction”,

Firesign Theatre laughing because “Everything You Know Is Wrong”,

Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick joining forces
to declare that the apes didn’t evolve without help,
and that the “help” was not from the Divine
as we have been taught to think about it,

The Wachowskis’ “Morpheus” opening
Huxley’s “Doors of Perception”
to reveal a simulated reality Matrix
designed to subdue
and control the human population,

George Carlin’s career-capping rant about
“Critical Thinking and Obedient Workers”,

Talk show hosts talking about
talking heads,
talking about reality show hosts,
talking about fake news,
talking about a fake president,
talking about “The Space Force”,

Jeffrey Bowen writing it all down
as fast as he can
on a Samsung Galaxy Five!

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Jeffrey Bowen