Why She Hates Facebook, by Jennifer Randall Hotz

The Goldfish, by Paul Klee (Switzerland) 1925

Why She Hates Facebook 
 
She’s the stout one in the bottom left-hand corner, 
busy contemplating the stripped twig 
as if it has all the answers: 
 
why the golden fish sucks up all the light, 
casts an unholy glow all around, takes selfie after selfie; 
 
why every joke she tells, he passes off as his own; 
ditto any insight she offers—that becomes his, too; 
  
how he takes up so much space,  
the ocean ripples them all out to the periphery. 
 
When she brings it up with the others, 
they jabber about how lucky they are 
 
to have his luminescence among them,  
as if they didn’t choose the depths for a reason, 
 
as if all that matters in life is to be shiny & new & bright, 
monopolizing the centre of things. 

Jennifer Randall Hotz

Jennifer Randall Hotz is an award-winning poet whose work has appeared in Burningword Literary Journal, Naugatuck River Review, Connecticut River Review, and Hole In The Head Review, among other publications. She won 1st place in poetry for the Virginia Writers Club 2023 Golden Nib Awards and has been nominated for a 2024 Pushcart Prize. Her lifelong love of music and words drew her to poetry, where she delights in weaving the various strands of her interests into something new.  Find her at: www.jenniferrandallhotz.com.