Category Archives: insanity

For Real

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“Please enter your password”
Said the words upon the screen,
Asking so politely, thus disguising
What they mean.

The goal? To induce panic
And to bring me close to stroke,
Neural paths collapsing
Causing me to start to choke!

Somehow, I type the right word
But the screen shows no compassion.
“Your password’s far too easy:
Passwords need upgraded fashion.

Create compliant password
Using letters, symbols, digits”.
So complex has it become,
I need those password widgets.

I start to breathe once more –
I feel a sense of great relief.
My password’s safe within the vault,
Or such was my belief.

To enter my new password,
I was horrified to learn,
I need another password,
As my brain begins to burn!

My online things are safe now,
Access so tightly controlled:
Even I cannot gain access.
I just feel so very old.

Stephen Tomkins
25 September 2025
Los Angeles

I’m Hearing Voices

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stop-noise

They tell me that I am alive.
They tell me that I’m fit to drive,
That maybe I should send a text,
That in the phone queue I’ll be next.

They say that this is good for me,
That I should go and hug a tree,
That I should watch this TV show,
That, really, I should up and go.

This special will not last for long,
That I should buy this brand new song,
That nothing’s right and nothing’s wrong.
Ignore the weak and laud the strong.

They tell me all I ought to do:
‘But to your own self remain true.’
So who’d have thought I’d come to dread
The voices raging in my head?

For God’s sake turn the volume down
Lest the voices bid me drown!
So for myself, perhaps, I’ll think
And drag myself back from the brink.

Stephen Tomkins
20 October 2016
Sydney

I Love Traffic

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In silken threads of silver hue,
The clouds drift by as if to view
The chaos raging here below
As to and fro we madly go,
Changing lanes with gritted teeth
And miss by inches sudden grief
To save a second, maybe two
And meet again just down the queue.
Perhaps we should just take a breath?
It’s better than an on-time death.

Stephen Tomkins
21 June 2016
Sydney