Virtual Reality

Across the network;
bitcoins pay for virtual love,
boys sit mute in dark rooms
hoods up inside, 
as if in hiding - from themselves.

Outside at bus-stops,
uploads beg for virtual likes,
girls post AI-”enhancements”
of their beauty
as if to hide their own from others. 

In front of laptops,
zero-sum arguments roil;
trolls spill bilious tripe,
devoid of facts
as if to hide discussion.

Out there, in woodland,
someone is breathing fresh air;
pocket vibrations cease,
the birdsong
is nature’s replacement.