it used to be

technology is a mixed blessing

it used to be that the cloud
brought rain
we consulted encyclopedias
for general information
which were written by committee
and updated at infrequent intervals
after much deliberation

it used to be that friend
was not a verb
and that liking something required
more thought that a click of the mouse
we used to talk around the dinner table
and when the phone rang
we ignored it
on the theory that everyone we knew
knew we ate at this hour

it used to be that refrigeration
meant ice and that indoor plumbing
was the exception rather than the norm
that slide rules were more than
curious paper weights
and that childbirth
lead too often straight to death

and when a person’s blood turned sweet
they shriveled up and died

technology means
when I take my insulin
I don’t have to sterilize a glass syringe
and resharpen the needle
before my next dose