Thursday, May 30, 2013

Facing off with the Social Media Borg



I know I'm not the only one out there on a quest to find more balance in my life.  Unfortunately, it's rarely a question of will I drop a ball today, it's how many balls will be dropped and who will be affected by my lack of perfection.  My husband says that my self-expectations are too high.  While that's probably true (my fatal flaw is that I am prone to taking on too much), I do pride myself in picking many of those balls back up eventually. 

My lack of juggling stamina has never been more evident than now, as I've been pressing forward, determined to find my way as a children's writer.  It is said that in order for a writer to be successful these days, you must maintain a social platform as well as find time for your craft.  And to be fair, I do enjoy maintaining a public image on this blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.  But facing the social media monster day after day can be treacherous to my time, my family, and my sanity.  I feel like a struggling addict-- there are the good days when I keep my exposure to a minimum, and then there are the bad days when resistance is futile, and I've lost myself to the Social Media Borg.

Which brings me to today's little ditty...


     S ucking me in and swallowing whole,
     O ne after another, we all pay the toll.
     C aught up 
     I  n the whirlwind, 
     A nonymous cloud,
     L eave our bags at the door and prepare to be wowed.

     M indless machine,
     E ntertain and
     D evour!
     I    give myself freely—
     A bduct my last hour.

                                    © 2013  Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.  All rights reserved.

Have you found a way to preserve balance and sanity in your life?  If so, do tell!  And if not, well, perhaps Betsy at Teaching Young Writers can teach us a thing or two about how to control the chaos that comes with today's Poetry Friday roundup.

9 comments:

  1. Oh yes, it can just suck you dry. So tempting. So taunting. So many things and a balancing act for sure. Good luck to you as you juggle and pick up those dropped while celebrating the airborne ones as well!

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    1. "Celebrate the airborne"... oooooh, I like that! Thanks for the new mantra :)

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  2. Too true! Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. ;)

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  3. I don't like posting on Twitter or Facebook. I wish I could manage those effectively, but I have to spend time getting better at them. I'm not sure I want to spend more time digitally enhanced, but I know I should.

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  4. Can I tweet my response? Fun poem.

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  5. Very well said and a great use of the acrostic form!

    Violet N.

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  6. Yes, you said it. Great acrostic! SM is a frustrating modern day affliction. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Everyone has the OVERSHARING disease.

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  7. M indless machine,
    E ntertain and
    D evour!

    "Devour" is such an apt word for this! Where does the time go??

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  8. Great job, I say as I bounce from tab to tab in my browser!

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