Actual we know:
This is about what is real
So that if he actually made it
We know he did not fail.
Virtual was understood
To have meant ‘almost’
Such that that particular person
Had no real rights to boast.
Virtual was at best
A mere second place position
While the actual first in order
Went to the champion.
First place you’d agree
Always has the bragging rights,
Second, third and down the line
Share the lesser delights.
Actual is the real thing
Virtual is just a semblance,
This was borne out only recently
In the COVID disturbance.
Gatherings were reduced
To an unacceptable limit
Especially in church services
Where this became a habit.
As a result of this
The actual became virtual
And ZOOM and YouTube platforms
Became more visible.
Churches still met though
But they did so mostly virtually
Which was nothing like the real
When they met actually.
It’s a vast difference
Between the virtual and the real
And for me they really are
Opposite ends of the scale.
“But this is virtually real”
Some will emphatically say
But for me that is an oxymoron
Coming into play.
More like “actually virtual”
Which is a more apt expression
To give meaning to this new thing
We call a virtual congregation.
Actual and virtual
Can never be synonyms,
At best, we are forced to conclude
These two must be antonyms.
Well I have virtually finished
Writing this actual poem,
Hence, the reality here is virtual-
I trust you see my problem.
Like the reality during COVID
When people virtually met,
They did not actually congregate
But that reality I get.
Call it a virtual reality
And add it to the oxymoron list
So that we can actually show
The impossible does exist.
Stewart Russell © June 17, 2023
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