when i was a little girl
it seemed to me
my mother’s greatest sneaking fear
was me sitting too close to the television
“You’ll ruin your eyes, you’ll ruin your eyes!”
was her desperate cry
from kitchen across living room carpet
now that i’m grown i can say with assurance
sitting too close to the television
did not ruin my wide open eyes
but sitting too close to the television
watching every evil perpetrated in the world
pixelated and sponsored by soap companies
certainly did ruin my soul
she didn’t know to fear that