Tabs

after your wordless conversations
with the moon
you'd wait for your nightly ritual
to begin

you'd flip through the pages of your diary
desperately in search
for entry number xyz
that you knew
would make you feel exactly
the way you wanted to feel

each night those pages
would become portals to
the worlds you once breathed in
the galaxies you once dived in
the universes you once conquered

in that moment
you'd be the master of your realm

for once
your sentiments would be your puppets
and you'd wonder whether
you keep a diary
or a diary keeps you?

when you'd finally
begin to get high on emotions
from a particular day in your life
you'd stop to think how
some gateways should
never be closed

and that's when you'd realise
how nothing in this entire world
defines you better
than your tab count
on Google

Reviews

[barleygirl]

You took me on an amazing journey with this one. The whole time, I kept thinking, what fresh, original thinking! Nightly ritual . . . desperate search . . . portals to other worlds . . . this begins the plunge with a sense this describes someone almost ready to go freaky-obsessed in a controlling & distorted way . . . like wanting to escape real life where things happen we can't predict & we don't know how to deal with . . . leaving all that & entering a place where we seemingly have total control. I believe there are many people these days who would rather interact digitally (rather than in-the-flesh) for this exact reason. I also believe there are many who spend so much time online & they either lose or never learn how to cope with all the uncertainties of real life.

"make you feel exactly
the way you wanted to feel" -- this sounds ominous to me, like mocking those who escape into a world that's of their own making

"wonder whether
you keep a diary
or a diary keeps you?" -- this is brilliant pondering & so thought-provoking!

And then the last verse . . . I had to look up "tab count" & then I got the powerful snark you are delivering in this verse . . . like how insane it is that people put so much store on how the world sees them thru their electronic portal(s) . . . the way you throw all this down without sounding like your snarking on these digital-dwellers, but that you're simply painting a picture of them . . . and there are aspects of this picture that sound so ironic & so caustic, it's clear to me you're delivering a ton of scorn (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Zoya]

That's a really REALLY good interpretation and very close to what I actually wanted to convey! While writing this, I had in mind how we refuse to close the tabs or simply forget the moments we've lived, as if forgetting them would mean those moments never happened at the first place. We write them down or remember them in our own ways so that we can revisit them and feel what we once felt, so that we can live that moment, good or bad, all over again.
Your reviews always make me smile! Thank you so much, Margie. It means a lot :)

[Gaurav]

There are some subtle dimensions that do not shy away from penetrating past and future yet beautifully staying in present...memories of past may be the outcome of incidents happening in future..,and your diary is able to keep everything intact...its a very original read..really liked it

[Ana Papaya]

very cool and fresh!
nice job zoya!

[Zoya]

Thanks a lot, Ana! I really so appreciate :)

[wordman]

living from a dairy ,sad life,great poem

[Zoya]

Thank you, wordman :) Appreciate the read and review!

[wordman]

you`re welcome

[Chris Shaw]

This piece reminded me of how some youngsters seem to think these days. How many likes they get on their Internet postings define how they feel about themselves. This speaks to me of a certain isolation from the real world and a focus on "Internet friends". This piece gave me a feeling of loneliness, but as someone who doesn't use social media for anything other than poetry, I may have missed the point. I enjoyed the way you conveted your lines Zoya.

Chris

[Zoya]

Thank you so much, Chris! Although this piece has more to do with the real world rather than the virtual world, your interpretation is nothing but befitting. Appreciate it, truly :)

[Pragati Chaudhary]

You write soooo well
Beautiful Lines!

[Zoya]

Haha thank you Pragati! You're too kind :)

[emipoemi]

I was not expecting that ending. What a way to cap off a poem! You don't need the question mark after "keeps you" as in context it's not necessary, but that's all I have for tweak suggestions. This flows and dances and oh! those juicy lines!! Well done!

[Zoya]

Emi, I'm so glad you enjoyed. Thank you so much! :)

[emipoemi]

my pleasure

[Unspoken poet]

for once
your sentiments would be your puppets
and you'd wonder whether
you keep a diary
or a diary keeps you?

I really love this part about the puppets, I feel it is a metaphor, awesome write

[Zoya]

I'm happy you liked this. Many thanks :))