[ Featuring Tony ]
No ribbons adorn the gift tokens we share.
Sent without care through cold cyberspace air.
A digital fireplace, bright pixels at play,
Creating no warmth on my PC's display.
Carollers stream via shuffle song mode
No doorstep recital, just processor code
Soup to desert virtual meal rendered square,
No flavourful bytes, tasteless binary fare.
We wish you a merry hi-tech Christmas day,
Where nothing is real, and screens get in the way.
Between you and me and the people we treasure,
Fake's quick in its haste, we'll repent at our leisure.
On Instagram's stage, festive fun looking fine.
Composed perfection, without fault any time.
Online we can shine, our best life is defined.
But reality lurks in dark parts of our minds.
Then the circuits are shut, power cannot endure.
All the energy leaves and the tech is no more
An electronic eclipse the devices fall silent.
Then a knock at the door takes us back to where we were.
That neighbourly act carries hope of a friend.
A reality we all feared was at an end.
There are candles and warmth from a wood burner's glow.
Playing board games and cards with real people we know
We wish you a merry no-tech Christmas day,
Where everything's real, and screens get put away.
Between you and me and the people we treasure,
With family and friends you will find life's real pleasure.
