What Are You Watching Tonight

In your eyes

we must be an infinite stream of fluttering,

organized into genres and themes.

What are you in the mood to watch tonight?

I imagine you are attracted to contradictions:

the anger that seeps into our love,

the boredom that ridicules our faith,

the pain that spars with our smiles.

And you can see it all —

from the abandoned in care homes,

to the intoxicated in dance halls.

And you can hear it all —

from the humming of prayers,

to the silence of waiting rooms.

As you flip through our channels,

the billions you have scattered,

perhaps you will notice

one man, couch-bound,

sipping coffee and consumed by one thought:

what you will be watching tonight.