Let them be bored
Power out
tv blank
pc down
tablet black
iphone no phone!
boring, boring,
only boring people get bored
the old saying goes
blah blah blah
boring boring
Light a candle
play a game
use the electricity
in your brain
sparks of creativity
glinting connectivity
flickering tinkering
lateral sideways thinking
bending of facilities
curving of capabilities
shadows await
the endless possibilities.
Imagination born
from the bored.
Gabe Feathers McGee 
Note: image from microsoft free images. I probably could have drawn a lightbulb, but am suffering from lazyitis š
Love the poem Gabrielle.
Thanks Helen š
Let them be bored indeed! Is that a biblical quote, as in “God said; ‘let there be light and there was light'”? Or is it a motion looking for a seconder? If the latter, I’m it!
Loved the fun you had with the sounds. m
(Feeling a bit better today). š
‘let them be bored’ is whatever you want it to be Stafford š glad you are feeling a wee bit better
so true!
Juliet
http://craftygreenpoet.blogspot.com
yes indeedy Juliet š
Delightful…reminded of when children play with simple objects (a plain box) with such creativity…some of which is lost as they become addicted to electronic games.
Yes, kids have a great time with cardboard boxes – can make anything with their minds – thanks slpmartin š
This is so true. Everyone is so hung up on technology that when the power goes down we all look at each other and ask – well what will we do now we can’t watch TV? I know a lot of families who have ‘blackout nights’ where the technology is all plopped in the other room and they just have an evening of boardgames and reading. Don’t know how well that would go down with teenagers, but the younger kids reportedly enjoy it.
I love your poem.
Thanks Kirstie š We sometimes have blackout nights and sit on the veranda with some candles and just talk and tell silly stories about fairies and stuff. Kids love the quality time with parents.
You are very talented, love this. š
Hello Paula š Hope everything is well in your neck of the woods – have a great Easter and thanks for stopping by with such a lovely comment.
“lateral sideways thinking” – love that. some friends i’ve known forever – grew up together, home town, school – brought up their 3 kids with no tv in the house. the 2 older ones are in college now, one studying medicine, the other studying education. outstanding achievers. when i used to visit when they were little, the family entertained in the livingroom by playing music, guitars and piano, and singing.
i remember thinking it was sort of strangely anachronistic (the 90’s yknow) but when i see them now i realize it was a great upbringing but i couldnt have done it cuz i like tech stuff too much, sigh…very cool poem!
thank tipota – it is very hard to do it in this day and age but when I was a kid we hardly watched any tv as my parents seemed to be forever watching the news and their shows – so we got sick of waiting and would just play in the neighbourhood until dark and read a lot of books. I did get to watch some good shows at my friend’s house (she lived up the road and I was around there all the time – haha).
Thanks for this Gabe, made me smile! I get so tired of the word bored and how it is used.
It is a very annoying word Graham. I hardly ever got bored when I was a kid and I remember once telling Mum I was bored and she seemed completely surprised – like, how is that possible – haha – so I thought I better find something to amuse myself with.
YES. I think with children it is so important they learn to amuse themselves to a certain extent. I look at my son during the school holidays and he’s always got something to do because I’ve encouraged him to look at his leisure time in a creative way. MIxing it up seems to work for us – a bit of computer time, a bit of exercise, he cooks with his Dad, we watch movies together. We even go birdwatching. It’s fun and a good way to bond. I always raise my eyebrows when people say they’re bored – think outside the square!
Love your poem!
Thanks Selma – your son is lucky to have such a creative mother who makes up such wonderful stories – if I was your son I would just hang out in your hubby’s record store – haha, that would be too cool (that is if you still have the store) š
He still has the store, Gabe. It’s about to morph into a Record Bar which will mean half of it is a record store and the other half is a bar with a music/ Americana theme. It will open in 2 weeks. One day I will tell you the story about all the fighting among the builders, architects and investors. It has opened my eyes. I didn’t think grown men could be such drama queens. The whole thing has been divalicious š
haha – sounds even better with a bar š
This is fantastic and an exhortation not only to the younger generation but us adults who are spend our days nose-deep in our iPads, laptops, phones etc. “Light a candle play a game use the electricity in your brain” – yes! We are in the Snowy mountains, where the Internet connection is tenuous and blog pages are taking ages to load and I’m being forced to eye the Scrabble – good! š
haha – enjoy your Scrabble bluebee – sounds like my last holiday where we had little reception and were forced to amuse ourselves – I’d love to go to the Snowy mountains one day. Electronic gadgetry sure is taking over from the real world.
I also meant to say š to the wordplay here
thanks – it was fun bb š
So true, Gabe, I love telling stories with my daughter during earth hour, I remember one story of a small spider trying to climb a blade of grass to get to the drop of dew at the top.
Nothing like trying to invent an entertaining story for kids to keep the grey matter from deteriorating – haha – my kids love earth hour and Michael wants to do it every week (it’s because he loves lighting candles and matches – hmmm – should I be worried – haha).
How we have become so used to being entertained, lol! Lazy so and so’s – no more inventiveness, no more conversation… brain-dead most of us!
hahaha – that’s about right adeeyoyo š
A wonderful poem. And I love these lines:
use the electricity
in your brain
sparks of creativity
glinting connectivity
Thanks!
Thank you Nigel š Sometimes I think I need a bit of a jump start on my batteries but generally know how to entertain myself – haha
When I was a child (I’m dating myself here) there was only TV and no cable, no computers or electronic games. We had a record player to listen to music and we played outside alot and yes, used our imaginations. Those were the days when ‘bored’ wasn’t in the vocabulary. Wonderful post, Gabrielle!
Sounds like my childhood š My Mum and Dad would play records – jazz, classical music etc., all the time while reading and knitting, that sort of thing – they just left us to our own devices (though we drove them nuts with the noise we made).
Wonderful Gabrielle! I really like the pace of your words. š
Thanks Tracey š
yes, you could have drawn a lightbulb, I am disapointed!
but love your poem š
haha – sorry Benedicte š I will try harder in the future – thanks.
I was just reading Ray Bradbury’s account of childhood in 1928 when Nature was responsible for much of the entertainment! Sometimes a little power failure takes us back to “Mom” (to Mother Nature mom) …. Wonderful poem that captures the whining very well and the transition to wonder too!
Thanks Aletha – I like the Bronte sister era when people played piano, read and sewed after dinner, by candlelight – haha (though I will skip the sewing) – we’ve had a lot of whining these holidays – glad they are back at school.