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The Trendy

by Robin Helweg-Larsen


In the future, when your bioluminescent pet
Provides controllable lighting to your house from mine,
In the Zero Light Pollution of night’s jet,
The Trendy flip on inefficient retro lights and pay their fine...

In the future, when the media’s fight
Is over whether you should spray on clothes
Or blow them on instead’s more right,
The Trendy grow them overnight from scalp to toes...

In the future, when the parking lots
Reserve the easiest, convenient spots
For Normals, called the Unenhanced (or Dead),
The Trendy disassemble their aircars instead,
Grow new wings to get home...

In the future, when a thought
Will activate your airjets, wings and wheels
Charged while you sat in sun
To move a mile or two to friends or meals,
The Trendy paleolocomote: they “walk”
Even relearn to “run”...

In the future, when direct mind-linking
Lets your band of friends share feeling, thinking,
“Anyone with telekinesis, raise my hand”
Becomes a daily battle for control of prey,
A Natural Leader manages subordinates —
Whole groups of Zombies which one man coordinates —
The Trendy dare to live offlinked, un-band,
As though alone as in the Olden Days...

In the future, when Earth’s overcrowded
And you turn on AI, AR, AV
And, instead of crowds and concrete, see a tree
And follow a manipulated path, alone as Truman,
And, mole-like, tunnel, blind, controlled, enshrouded,
The Trendy leave the Earth for Mars and stars,
Wrapped in themselves and their AIs, ARs,
Sublimate selves into the post-human,
Are never seen again alive...
But they see all. They are become the Hive.


Copyright © 2018 by Robin Helweg-Larsen

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