flat line friendships

nothing good
nothing bad
flat line friendships
no passion, depth of any kind
to be found or had

they exist
because they can, and do
like the grass is green
and the sky is blue

no deep thought needed
merely an ultra-occasional
scan of the "phone brain"
repeated..

every rare so often
a "hey friend, how's it goin'?"
text, supposed to make you feel
like the winds of a windfall,
lottery win, towards you are blowin'

little soul value placed
little to nothing
beyond the surface,
scratched, traced

back to nothing
but maybe bored outta mind
cuz "outta sight"
your supposed to feel
take the tossed off sentiment
as the modern age definition of "real"

cuz any crumb of any thought
better, now, no thought at all?
true, one could say
attention span of dysentery
this day, this play

of "keep all connected",
but really, mostly, out to sea, at bay
conditioned to accept the bullshit
as a bouquet of flowers,
chant "i like it this way"..

land of "lay down and take it"
and better if you can smile
while you fake it
the orgasm or
the "gee, that didn't hurt"
the moan without groan
to show appreciation, the worth

of sentiments tossed
like convenience store glossed
lips without the "sizzling quencher"
lives lived, "voids filled",
devoid of the divine, in the pursuit,
the adventure

of human relations
and soul exchange,
heart elations

flat line friendships
no real effort or work
just "happy to have the occasional
body around"
so the reality of how alone
we really are,
doesn't cause a convulsion,
then, in isolation we drown

so better to drown in the shallow
than the deep
flat line friendships,
the preferred crop to keep

watered with droplets
of aqua, so few
dehydration is dandy! now
like a soaker-head, fused

to the hose, up the nose
without the mouth,
no human voice given out

cuz flat line friendships
a phone call, please,
not what they're all about

that's like asking
to move in and marry
so dead, so "yesterday",
so much work,
so then strenuous, very!

easy nothing
is easy go
along for the ride
or be left behind, so

flat line friendships
they, "the now", soul nutrition
be happy!, not heartfelt
you've been given a morsel
so quit your starved bitchin'

cuz you can get used to 'em
to the point you feel full
like convincing yourself
watching "gma!"
isn't garbage bullshit,
soul dead, dreary and dull

flat line friendships
no high, no low
no challenge, no show

of anything, called everything
that makes one truly cherished
truly valued, treasured gift
deep friendships,
they've been set adrift..

to wither on the vine
of who's got the time?
who's got the care?
if it's not all about me,
i can't feel it, so there!

keep telling yourself
It's "all natural now", "it's fine"
god knows the sound
of a phone ring these days
that "ding-a-ling", "damn them!"
sends chills up the spine

what happened to the heart of
real love?

in it's "true friend 'til the end"
form

well,
it seems, it's

flat lined _______________.


bowen hart roselli
8 september 2020
ringwald love