Naked, nude, exposed—bereaved

It makes me anxious, makes me peeved

As if I’ve lost a crucial limb

An arm, a leg, my brain within

Have I become just like the youth?

Aloof, detached, so uncouth

A person I don’t want to be

Obsessed, addicted, can’t break free

Email, texts, notes, and maps

Icons, buttons… apps, apps, apps

To reference it, habitual

Head bent down, in ritual

I miss each ding and beep and chime

Is this my life’s new paradigm?

Without it time creeps terribly

Hours pass unbearably

My love for it is criminal

It’s hold is not subliminal

It makes me sad, it makes me moan

To go a day without my phone.

38 thoughts

    1. Thank you! I accidentally left it at home one day when I went to work and I was without it ALL DAY. It was nightmarish! I didn’t know what to do with my hands (so I grabbed a pen and started this poem because what the heck else was I gonna do?).

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  6. It seems like a ridiculous concept. A day without one’s phone should be simple enough, everyone did it pre-90’s, but now in 2022 going without your cellular device is like going without a limb. I like sacrificing my addiction and voluntarily going without a phone to experience life through an entirely new lens. I realized once and for all how reliant I was on my phone. In a way, I could never truly be present regardless of what I was doing because the whole world was in my pocket at all times. Aiva xx

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  8. I once lost my phone in Iceland, and even though I’d gone without it for less than 24 hours, I felt as if I lost a limb without it. I was extremely lucky that I was referred to an electronics store that was opened on a Sunday to get a new one, but never again!

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  10. Well put, and rhyming too! I can go hours without looking at my phone, but if I don’t have it, I feel like I’m missing something. I’ve been without it for longer when I’m traveling some places, but then it feels like it’s part of the adventure to be off the grid for a while.

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  13. I can relate. I left mine at home a couple months back and spent the whole day without it. My friend panicked when I hadn’t texted her back after 8 hours and called my fiancé to make sure I was okay. It’s funny (but also not funny) how dependent we’ve become on our phones.

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  14. Well done on this poem! I too love my phone. I consciously keep it in my pocket or purse when I’m visiting with someone, out for a meal, etc. I don’t miss it during those times, but if I happen to forget it at home, I do have mild anxiety until I have it again.

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    1. We just got back from a 2-night spa getaway where digital devices were prohibited in all public areas. Since we were rarely in our room, we rarely looked at our phones the whole 48 hours. I guess it’s the difference between choosing to be without it and accidentally forgetting it, which is what happened to inspire the poem.

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