Duck and cover they used to say,
Beneath your desk,
As if that way,
You’d be protected under there,
From fall-out that gets everywhere,
We now think how naïve and sweet,
But at times I wish I could retreat,
Not so much from radiation,
But the fall-out of communication,
Facebook, Twitter, SMS,
Constant contact, constant stress,
And while I appreciate the link,
And sharing every thought I think,
I often drift back to before,
When time and space seemed something more,
Travelled alone, all unconnected,
Read a book, perhaps reflected,
Back in the days of my youth,
To make a call, you used a booth,
We didn’t know “download” or “stream”,
Dick Tracy watches were just a dream,
I sometimes wish I could rediscover,
Days before I had to duck and cover.