Nursery Rhymes for Digital Times
1.
Willie had a great big bass
whose strings got in the groove;
And every time he played a gig
Dad put it on YouTube.
2.
Little Middle Schooler
Had her computer
To take notes in class every day;
Along came an email
From Mom on her Gmail
And dragged Middle Schooler away.
3.
Four best friends. Four best friends.
On Snapchat. On Snapchat.
One drunk at a party takes a picture and sends
It on to another who then resends
It on to his parents and there it ends
For four best friends,
No more best friends.
A high school English teacher, Katherine Barrett Swett lives in New York City. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in various journals, including The Lyric, Rattle, Mezzo Cammin, The Raintown Review, and The Orchards. Sonnets by her were finalists for the Nemerov Sonnet Award in 2016 and 2017. Her chapbook, Twenty-one, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2016.