The New War Photographer

The New War Photographer

Twenty-second videos you watch for ten,
ten-page stories you swipe at five.
Nibble-size content you chew up and spit out;
the left-over sugar corrodes your teeth, leaving
worms to squirm in the roots.

With rotten teeth you feast on
war, the one social media feeds you.
“Oh, but don’t you worry,
it has been twice processed and thrice filtered.
You’ll taste what we want you to taste.”

Teeth eater and brain rotter, a parasite
in a pretty, infinity wrapper.
“Here are the victims, and here are the perpetrators.
Pay no mind to what we don't show you.
The algorithm –– the algorithm knows best.”

“Toss a few seconds to the living machine–
you can afford that, right?
It’s a fair deal for their pain.”
So you stay, and devour the sweetened war,
then swipe past it and laugh at funny cat videos.

Footage of a Palestinian boy bein-
This content has been removed
due to violations of our policy.

“...You shouldn’t be seeing this, it’s unfiltered, unsafe.
But don’t worry, this foul thing won’t slip in again.
Eat what we’re giving you.”
Indigestion churns butter into your brain ––
cats - food - Ukraine - memes - Aaron Bushnell -

You cringe while the acid crawls up your throat,
waking you from your consumption coma.
“Oh dear, was today’s content unsatisfactory?
We’ll do better. We won’t wake you next time.
And honey, avoid smiling at mirrors from now on.”

The sliced and diced news and images of war, optional
condiments in your all-American burger.
Your hunger will remain insatiable.

We’re in America, the United States of Apathy.
A war seasoned for an audience is nothing new.
Skewed and skewered, just how they want it.
Who are they, you may ask, well,
it doesn’t matter; they are the new war photographers.

You’re happy here, with us, the algorithm.
What is their suffering to your funny feline videos, anyway?
You’re happy here, so just keep
eating and eating and eating and eating and…

Rot.