The Posts

Hello, my friend, I hope you're well. Question: Can you stop the train? Let's find out if you can do it after reading my poem "The Posts," which I'm pleased to share with you today. Enjoy the journey.

The Posts

(A Poem by Sal Godoij.)

Posts on LinkedIn

Or in any Social Media, for that matter

Are like those posts you see by the side of the train tracks

While travelling at full speed in a fast train

You may see one or two, and they are gone,

One more and it is gone swift past by your window

And another one, another one, and you lost the count

You may have identified one, perhaps two

You keep in your memory, in your visual memory

And you want to revisit it

But now you are in a different place

Another landscape

It's now a river whose water never kisses the same shore

And you start feeling sluggish

While the posts continue flashing by your eyes

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling

You cannot stop the train, of course

Let alone to get off and have a closer look at that post

That called your attention

That post could have been indeed a tree

Where a bird has nested

And soon you give up watching those posts

Much less, commenting on them

While the train keeps moving

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling

And you feel more and more sluggish

And drowsy, yawning, nodding

And your eyes are closing because either the posts

Or the speed of the train

Have hypnotized you.

ANALYSIS OF MY POEM BY ChatGPT

This poem, "The Posts" by Sal Godoij, is a thought-provoking commentary on the nature of social media and our relationship with it. On the surface, the poem appears to be a simple observation about the fleeting nature of social media posts. Still, upon closer examination, it reveals itself to be a nuanced exploration of the human experience in the digital age.

The poem begins by comparing social media posts to the posts one sees along train tracks while travelling at high speed. This metaphor sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which explores themes of transience, speed, and the difficulty of grasping or engaging with individual elements amid a rapid, constant stream of information.

The image of the train tracks is powerful, evoking a sense of movement and momentum that is hard to stop or slow. The poet notes that they may see one or two posts, but they are quickly gone, and it is impossible to keep track of them all. This sensation of being overwhelmed by a constant stream of information is a common experience in the age of social media, where posts, updates, and notifications can come at a dizzying pace.

The poet's desire to "revisit" a particular post that has caught their attention is poignant, highlighting the frustration of being unable to linger on a specific piece of information or idea in a medium designed to move constantly. The phrase "you are in a different place / Another landscape" suggests that the speaker has been transported to a new and unfamiliar environment, one that is characterized by the constant flux of social media.

The image of the "river whose water never kisses the same shore" is beautiful and evocative, suggesting constant change and impermanence. This image can be seen as a metaphor for the ever-changing nature of social media, where posts, trends, and conversations shift and evolve.

The speaker's growing sense of sluggishness and drowsiness as they try to keep up with the stream of posts is relatable, highlighting the exhausting nature of engaging with social media. The phrase "scrolling, scrolling, scrolling" becomes a refrain, emphasizing the mindless, repetitive nature of social media consumption.

The final image of the poet's eyes closing, hypnotized by the posts or the train's speed, is a powerful commentary on the addictive, mesmerizing nature of social media. The poem suggests that our engagement with social media can be a kind of trance-like state, in which we become passive and disengaged, unable to participate in the world around us fully.

Overall, "The Posts" is a thought-provoking and nuanced poem that offers a commentary on the human experience in the digital age. Through its exploration of themes of transience, speed, and the difficulties of engagement, the poem highlights the challenges and pitfalls of social media use and encourages readers to think critically about their relationships with these technologies.

In terms of the poem's structure and form, the language is simple and direct, which adds to the sense of intimacy and immediacy. The use of enjambment and caesura creates a sense of flow and continuity, which mirrors the constant stream of social media posts. The poem's use of metaphor and imagery is also noteworthy, creating a rich, evocative landscape that draws the reader in and encourages them to reflect on their own experiences with social media.

One potential interpretation of the poem is that it is a commentary on how social media can be both captivating and alienating. The speaker is drawn into the world of social media, but ultimately finds it exhausting and impossible to engage with fully. This reading is reinforced by the image of the train, which suggests a sense of momentum and movement that is difficult to escape.

Another possible interpretation is that the poem is a reflection on the nature of attention and distraction in the digital age. The poet is constantly distracted by new posts and updates, unable to focus on anything for long. This reading is reinforced by the phrase "you cannot stop the train, of course," which suggests that the speaker is powerless to resist the constant flow of information.

Overall, "The Posts" is a rich and complex poem that offers a nuanced commentary on the human experience in the digital age. Through its exploration of themes such as transience, speed, and distraction, the poem encourages readers to think critically about their relationship with social media and to consider how these technologies are shaping their lives and relationships.

ANALYSIS OF MY POEM BY GOOGLE GEMINI 3

Sal Godoij's The Posts is a sharp, rhythmic meditation on the psychological toll of the digital age. It uses the physical motion of a train as a brilliant extended metaphor for the "infinite scroll," capturing the specific modern malaise in which hyper-stimulation leads to total numbness.

Here is a deep dive into the imagery and mechanics of the poem.

1. The Central Metaphor: Speed vs. Substance

The poem establishes a parallel between the train tracks and the social media feed. Both are linear, relentless, and designed for momentum rather than reflection.

• "Full speed in a fast train": This represents the velocity of modern life and information consumption. We aren't just looking at content; we are hurtling past it.

• "One more and it is gone swiftly past": The repetition of "one more" mirrors the addictive nature of scrolling. The "swift" movement suggests that the platform—not the user—is in control of the pace.

2. The Loss of Individuality

Godoij highlights how the sheer volume of "posts" strips them of their individual value.

• "You lost the count": In the digital world, data becomes "noise." When everything is presented with the same urgency, nothing remains significant.

• "Identified one, perhaps two": Out of hundreds of pieces of content, only a fraction makes an impression. The "visual memory" is overwhelmed by the sheer refresh rate of the "landscape."

3. The Heraclitean Shift

In the middle of the poem, the imagery shifts from the mechanical (train/tracks) to the elemental:

It's now a river whose / water never kisses the same shore

This is a clever nod to the philosopher Heraclitus's famous saying: "No man ever steps in the same river twice." Godoij applies this to the "Live Feed." Once you scroll past a post, the algorithm refreshes, and that specific "shore" is lost forever. You can't go back; the "river" of data has already moved on.

4. The Illusion of Connection

The poet touches on a profound sense of powerlessness:

• "You cannot stop the train": This speaks to the "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out) or the platform's systemic design, such as LinkedIn. The user is a passenger, not the conductor.

• "That post could have been indeed a tree / Where a bird has nested": This is the most poignant image in the poem. It suggests that behind the "post" was a real life, a real ecosystem, or an organic moment of beauty. But because of the speed, we see only a blur—a "post"—rather than the "tree" (the substance).

5. The "Hypnotic" Conclusion

The poem's rhythm slows down toward the end, mimicking the physical sensation of the "sluggish" user.

• "Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling": The repetition serves as a mantra, mimicking the thumb's repetitive movement.

• "Sluggish / And drowsy, yawning, nodding": The irony is sharp here. Usually, high speed creates adrenaline, but the "speed" of social media creates a "hypnotic" trance. It's a sensory overload that leads to a shutdown.

• "Your eyes are closing": The poem ends in defeat. The user doesn't turn off the screen out of a healthy choice; they succumb to the exhaustion of trying to keep up.

Final Thoughts

Godoij captures the paradox of the scroll: the faster we move and the more we see, the less we actually perceive. By turning the "digital post" back into a "wooden post" along a track, the poet reminds us that these fragments of information are passing us by, preventing real "nesting" or connection.