Virtual Liking
We trace these virtual illustrations,
Sketching love, free of chest pains and fatigue.
Rendering impressions from screened fiction,
We quickly draw from these acts of liking.
We copy these seemingly smooth gestures,
Desperate for the other to mirror.
These models foster such desire to
Explore deceptively simple pursuits.
But when you soon fall for someone and smile,
Recall relief and regret wait awhile.
Anguish does not care for anyone’s age -
When you blindly invest, expect a phase!
When conception confronts the character,
When worlds intertwine, they mismatch in speed.
To measure the degree of their nature
Or to locate their guardians’ nurture?
Do words click like pieces of a puzzle?
Do melodies blend harmoniously?
Do not don those rose-coloured glasses
As they will blind you from those red and green flags.
They paint the illusion that these objects -
In your line of sight - are alike in shade.
But the varied hues of visible light
Constantly shining on the admired?
Why should they be readily ignored and
Why should they be easily discarded?
Admittedly, adoring is selfish,
Though often deemed to be a selfless high.
Mature partners knowing this, share that its
Not just the message sent, but the reply.
Written by George Tsakiris
Although born into the digital age with a weak frame of reference for what preceded me, I became intrigued by the impact of social media in its shaping of various types of relationships, despite being initially desensitised to the concept of it. I think the silent consensus is that it is more convenient to be attached to the idea of someone, inadvertently ignoring their complexities to render an easier judgment of their character. I believe this mode of thinking is deceiving; it is ineffective as fantasy and reality often clash. What should always be acknowledged is that people are not perfect. You can still leave room for admiring someone’s strengths, but you should also recognise that every single being is flawed, and has, is or will struggle with something at multiple points in their lives. Be compassionate, be understanding and be embracing.