Lurkers

I wrote this poem over a decade ago about the shadowy people in cyberspace who look and listen but don't contribute. I suppose with the arrival of Web2 and Social Media more people have become participants rather than merely observing, but I'm sure there are still ample opportunities 'just to lurk'.


Lurkers by L J Finnigan

I imagine you

In the deepest, darkest corners
Of cyberspace
With wide open eyes
And tight shut mouths
Looking, listening

Or are you just lurking

In my unconscious
With ghostly faces
And spectral features
Nightmarish visions or soft dreams
Floating away into nothingnes

I wonder what your lives are like

Just the other side of another screen
Lonely, quiet, contented, full
I wonder how you are feeling
What you are doing, thinking
What kind of a heart you have

I wonder how it would be

If you stepped out of the shadows
And shared yourself with me
In some small, virtual way
Or is it vitally important
For you just to lurk