Happy Poetry Friday! Today I share a poem about the simplest, and in my opinion the most precious of things: Reading to a child. Following is a little explanation of the inspiration.
This week Amazon announced that their voice-activated assistant, Alexa +, will now be even more intuitive and interactive. Definitely someone they claim we cannot live without.
“I’m your new best friend in the digital world,” Alexa + proudly states. For only $19.99 a month, you can have a new friend living with you intimately knowing all aspects of your life. What a deal!
During a demonstration, they went on to Alexa +, “Can you see if somebody walked the dog the past couple of days?”
I’m not a dog owner, but shouldn’t you know that?
I was curious, so I continued to watch, as Michael Strahan of Good Morning America got to converse with “her.” Alexa + soon came back with comments about his “legendary” arms.
“Do you still keep up those famous guns in the gym these days?” she asked.
Ewww.
Too flirty, too personal and might I say, “icky.”
But what really made my stomach turn was when a sweet girl, about 6 or 7 asks Alexa, to tell her a bedtime story.
Alexa answers, “Do you want an adventure story or a funny animal story?”
Yes, maybe this question hit me in the gut more, being a writer of children’s picture books and poetry. When I write, I imagine my words being enjoyed by a child—my book on the lap of a child snuggled up with someone they love with plenty of time to ask questions about what they heard and discuss it.
While I can see this application possibly being helpful for the home bound and disabled etc., I think we need to be careful about feeling drawn to every new shiny toy that comes down the pike…
just because we can.
Yesterday, my grandson, only 17 months old, grabbed a book off the shelf and ran to me shouting, “Read this! Read this!” I pulled him to my lap, and we entered into a world of celestial delight together, touching and talking about the textured moon, sun and stars. These are the kind of book experiences that are priceless for him and for me.
For me, there is nothing sweeter.
Hop on over HERE to Denise Krebs Dare to Care Blog
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Boo on all things Alexa Ick!
And yay for reading to children. What a sweet poem and an equally sweet picture, Cathy. Thanks for countering the things we don't need with one of the most essential things in life. - Karen Edmisten
My trite answer is "There's always something" that Amazon, & others, believe is the new best thing one must have. Ew is right to think of a child with a machine, instead of two hugging together, like you & your sweet grandchild, "the ordinary becoming new". Love every bit, Cathy!
"I’m not a dog owner, but shouldn’t you know that?" Ha! Yes, you should. I agree--there's a big difference between using technology to make various tasks and areas of information available to those who wouldn't otherwise have it and using technology to replace human connections. Your poem is such a testament to the power of reading together. You go, TWO astronauts!
Yep... it's the joy of my day to have my grandson pull book after book off the shelf and climb into my lap for reading together. The homebound might also prefer a human visitor!
Cathy, wow, this is a powerful post. Yes, just because the technology is available doesn't mean we need to use it. That picture of you and your grandson is precious, and the poem. I can relate so. I have a 2.5 year old grandson. That last stanza, I wish I would have written it.