Predicting the Future

The apocalypse was not what we expected

I always thought the next Hitler

Would be an evil genius

Not some moron

With lies so transparent

You could squeegee them clean

And teenagers, I read,

Have traded in groping

Each other in the back seats of cars

Parked down long dirt roads alongside the lake

For Instagram or TikTok

– Or whatever’s next

I can’t keep up anymore

They say we’re post-gender now anyway

I never saw that coming

That Dick Tracy watch

I once wanted so bad

Has come to be

With a lot more features

The number of downloadable apps

Keeps expanding

While attention spans shrink

To a size that can be drowned

In a thimble

Forget flying cars

I’d trade the whole internet

For a self-cleaning house

– Philip Riffe, Hesperus