is the weather forecast
five minutes on the computer
I chase the arrow
as it sets me sliding then sludging
through a bog of e-mails
I take a break on Facebook
where I float
for minutes on end
when I remember a message
I’ve forgotten to send
the arrow glides toward my account
then jumps flies away and hits
a pop-up of recipes
I grip the mouse
but the cursor soars
to a sale of shoes handbags
cookware cocktail attire
hits a link singing
You’re today’s winner
while flashing neon red
then tracks a trail back
and forth here and there
dragging me from
a five-minute plan
to check the weather
through an hour of wandering
computer mouse leading the way
and I still don’t know
if it’s going to rain.

This poem first appeared in Blue Hour Magazine (2013).
Used here with the author’s permission.