POEM - In Search of Big Brother, 1984

We didn’t even have the technology

To make Orwell a prophet

Just barely arriving into homes

Were devices years behind

Predictions from all trusted sources

Computers had begun to shrink

But they were mild devices

With limited abilities

Which I found out

Firsthand

As I sat starring at the screen

Watching my Commodore Vic 20

Come to life

With 20K of awesome computing power

Less than my wristwatch has today

And a clunky cassette drive

And programming in BASIC

I think the new microwave

Was a bigger threat

Than any new home computer

So I used the Commodore for games

And the microwave for popcorn

And frozen corn dogs

As I waited to watch movies

On the brand new VHS player

That we rented from the video store

Along with a couple of movies

The world was changing fast

But not that fast

And it still seems like the good old days

Before cell phones and internet

When most of the TV stations

Would still shut off at night

And you answered the phone

With no idea who was calling

And technology was a novelty

And Big Brother was still waiting

For the world to speed up