Present obsessions
here today, unwanted tomorrow, gone yesterday:
ready to assemble and made in China, ready to toss before it’s assembled
from box to garbage
new technologies and smart speakers, houses modernized clones
from human contact to computer takeover
social media and texting, connecting you with everyone
from acquaintances to strangers to stalkers
Smart phones and iPads
instant images never printed, from snap to lost in a cloud
online shopping and apps to save you time and bother, from click to ship pre-wrapped
trends and online encounters
dating out virtual relationships in, from web to bed not till death do us part:
Relics of the future awaiting burial

Thrownaway past
there yesterday, unwanted today, still there tomorrow:
from antiques to memories, solid wood handcrafted
beautiful and enduring they remain
from heritage to family, our history and culture
ties that sustain us unbreakable
from letters to journals shared with family and friends
private thoughts tucked away
from photo albums to keepsakes
black and white prints preserved in albums we can hold on to
from gifts to treasures, a music box and golden locket
symbols to remind us when loved ones are gone
from traditions to special days, weddings and christenings
formal confirmations of our love:
Relics awaiting to arise out of the rubble.

Ivanka Fear’s poems and short stories have been published in a variety of magazines in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.