Monday, May 01, 2023

AN OLD MAN WORRIES ON FACETIME

by Jerry Krajnak




A ten-year-old who looks like a Renaissance cherub
proudly shows me his AK-47
(1,400 tiny Lego pieces)
as we Facetime, tells me he likes it
even more than this Glock he made last week.
I try to change the subject. School. Friends.
Boring, all boring. He shifts to a Roblox game
where the goal is to kill these scurrying little people
as quickly as you can. The more you kill,
the more play money you’re paid and can buy
better guns, become more efficient at killing
little people, earn even more money
and win the game and buy more guns for next time.
 
 
Jerry Krajnak gardens, writes poetry, and worries in his North Carolina cabin where he enjoys Facetiming with distant grandchildren. Usually. Recent poems appear in Autumn Sky Poetry, Rat’s Ass Review, The New Verse News, The Examined Life, Star 82 Review, and other journals.