The paper man

Words on paper do not feel, nor screens weep.
And you, the reader, share the blame in part
by choosing to review each pregnant page.
The paper and the words come in between:
I do not have to look you in the eye,
nor twist nor stare at bloody, dripping knife.
I am outside the morals of real life;
I can observe – you all are words to me.

And words do not feel, nor cold blue screens weep.

——————–

The news is full of the ethics of reporters and a 168 year-old newspaper has just been shut down here because its journalists and owners completely lost touch with the human impact of what they were doing or writing. I can’t help reflecting a little on writing in general, and how it removes the writer from the reader (compared to looking someone in the eye and saying the same things). This can be helpful, sometimes, for those of us who are a little shy – but it can also go too far I think, especially when it takes over an entire culture.