Remember those days

When mouths opened

And legendary stories of the most memorable days of school

Were created:

That hilarious prank which was pulled during an afternoon class,

When the unsuspecting teacher got corrected by a student,

When somebody started that 10-second food fight,

And when the yearbook became a book full of biases.

Remember when that one girl

Sucked up to the teacher and everyone knew it

But no one came forward about it?

What happened?

Nobody came forward with anything anymore.

Nobody is talking about what happened that day

In class or about the weekend.

Where did everybody’s mouths go?

Where did the laughter go?

Where’s that one person who knows the latest fashion?

What about that one person who has the answers to the homework?

Or that one bully who pushed me against the locker?

Today, that one bully is pushing someone against a cyber-wall,

The know-it-all started an online study group,

And the fashionista is now giving tips on her latest blog.

Laughter turned into three letters.

While walking down the street,

People walked with their heads down,

Lost in the world of their new generation device,

Unable to hear the world around them

As they put that pair of designer headphones on,

Their mouths seemingly taped shut by technology.

Today, the funniest thing they ever saw

Did not come from real life.

They saw a funny picture of a random person

Suffering from an unfortunate mishap

Behind a few bold, white letters.

They shared that picture with their “friends” online.

They spoke through their fingers.

Today, as the sun shines,

As the clouds fade,

As the birds sing,

I wonder, “Where did everybody go?”

A paradise was lost

As oral communication lost its battle

Against the keyboard and headphones.