“Boredom is necessary,”
says a random user on Reddit when I ask for advice on
how to disconnect and find myself,
but how is it necessary when it is so difficult to endure?

I think my brain is completely
rotted and decayed.
It can’t process things that take too much attention.
Bright lights and noise send it into overdrive.

My fingers won’t stop
helplessly twitching,
searching for a device to hold,
looking for the instant gratification
that the internet can provide.

“Touch grass”
the internet says.
Maybe it’s a joke,
but when was the last time I felt the Earth beneath me?

I haven’t felt the sun’s rays in so long,
haven’t felt the grass beneath
my feet, or tasted the fresh summer air.
Only artificial central air.

Even when I’m outside, I must
take a picture, it’ll last longer.
And your followers love,
no, envy you.

They want to be you,
become obsessed with you even.
Isn’t that the fun in
spending a carefully curated life online?

How can I be bored
when my life looks so fun?
Every post I make is crafted just so-
that way, I can have the perfect life.

Won’t my followers miss me if I just disappear?
Their inspo vanishing into dust,
but really, they just move on
to the newer, shiny influencer in their feed.

It’s this phone,
and how easily social media can corrupt,
that makes me feel so shallow or empty,
with an aching need to please and inspire.

So, maybe they’re right,
boredom is necessary.

Editor: Erynn Crittenden