The Next Flood

[Mark A Becker]

The Next Flood

One day the cloud will burst
and millions will drown
in the zeroes and ones
of the world's memories.

As flood waters swell
they'll hold phones to the sky-
call out for connection
to the God they believe in-

only to be answered
with dark screens, and silence.

[Luckieman]

This is a very interesting set of images. I'm particularly impressed by that in the first four lines (we're likely to be seen as a dark age in the future once all the electrical charges representing zeros and ones have decayed).

Overall the poem reminds me of the story of the man on his roof in a flood who's offered in turn a ladder, a boat and a helicopter lift but refuses them all in turn becuase God wil provide. Then God tells him as he drowns that he tried to provide, three times. Did you know this story before you wrote the poem?

However I'm not clear about the significance of the blank lines, particularly the second one. I've always considered blank lines to be stanza breaks (equivalent to paragraphs in prose), so the first seems reasonable if optional, but the second confuses me as it occurs in the middle of a sentence. Maybe I've misunderstood though.

(Please forgive any typos - I have arthritis in my fingers).

[wasellajam]

The Next Flood

One day the cloud will burst
and millions will drown
in the zeroes and ones
of the world's memories.

As flood waters swell
they'll hold phones to the sky-
call out for connection
to the God they believe in-

only to be answered
with dark screens, and silence.

Wow, missed this one, massive power outages and storm damage right before this post, apt.
Strong and sound piece. Worshipping at the feet of today’s Technology. Well done isolation of “call out…believe in”, the poem reads well with or without that phrase. Well done, Mark!

@Luckieman Thanks for bumping this!

[matsunosuperfan]

The Next Flood

One day the cloud will burst
and millions will drown
in the zeroes and ones
of the world's memories.

As flood waters swell
they'll hold phones to the sky-
call out for connection
to the God they believe in-

only to be answered
with dark screens, and silence.

This starts off pretty strong for me with the drowning in 0s and 1s. A familiar image maybe, but the enjambment gives it a sense of surprise that refreshes the move. 

The next six lines bore me to tears. The arc of the poem is transparent and completely telegraphed, it has nothing new to say and says it in the same way many others have said it.

Flat didacticism, yawn. Oh no stop looking at your phone or you'll miss the world. Oh the phone is their God now. I've been scolded by this PSA before.

Top of head, a more interesting/compelling impulse might be to investigate "the world's memories" as they fall from the sky or wherever.

[busker]

The Next Flood

One day the cloud will burst
and millions will drown
in the zeroes and ones
of the world's memories.

As flood waters swell
they'll hold phones to the sky-
call out for connection
to the God they believe in-

only to be answered
with dark screens, and silence.

Love this. Missed it the first time around.
A well timed solar flare, a war on infrastructure analogous to the war on oil going on now…
Apt title

[Bunx]

Love your writing Mark. It's silly that if you wrote this 10-15 years ago it could considered science fiction. Now it reads as extremely revelant. If the birth of the Internet was a renaissance what's happens when all of it is gone? It's a thought provoking piece about being dependent of thing intangible. Awesome read thanks aton .