“Lol” took the space
Where a laugh used to be
Throaty and loud and true,
A reaction to life, not a split second gone,
And setting more snap-laughs too.

A sound that alarms
For it’s rarer these days
And could it be mocking me?
What could be making her laugh that way?
Why is she happy?

Used to the bullies
Used to the “lols”
That forced their brash way through,
And stamped on raw emotion there
Internet over last childhood leftover…

Raucous and affecting,
So that more and more aware,
When something amuses
It goes through five filters
Then is published, stripped and bare.

Meaning is automatic, yet lost
As it’s all on how “I roll”,
Further from real life fun, from love,
I’d laugh if it wasn’t for “lol”.