Five Seconds at a Time

They didn't need chains. They didn't need guns. They just needed

screens that fit between our thumbs. It started with a buzz in your pocket.

A little red dot, a digital smile. They said, "Just look

for a second." Been scrolling through years in denial. Dopamine drips like a payday loan.

Cheap and fast and gone by dawn. And cortisol kicks in like a

debt. Now you're anxious just to keep it on. They mapped our

fears, they tracked our eyes. Counted every pause and stare.

Sold our anger back to us with ads pretending that they care. We used to