Inundated!

 

 

Here is a word

That was hitherto unknown

But with social media platforms

It’s become my norm.

 

Inundated!

Not with work or rain

But the torrent of information

Is a mighty strain.

 

YouTube, WhatsApp,

Linked-in and Instagram,

Twitter now X and TicToc reels,

Information like sand.

 

And by the way

There is also Facebook

And several other social media

At which we look. 

 

Inundated!

Regarding the senders

And those who do not respond

Become offenders.

 

‘Tis almost impossible

To respond to all

So careful, selective prioritizing

Must be the call.

 

 

Inundated!

You see what I mean?

Such brain overload and fatigue,

One could scream.

 

All of this information

To daily assimilate

Can sometimes create an attitude

Of love and hate.

 

Loving the apps

But hating the exchange

Especially relating to the senders

That appear deranged.

 

Inundated!

And having to sift through

Inordinately lengthy articles

Is not easy to do.

 

How else to know

If it’s important or not

If one does not pay some attention

To the whole lot?

 

 

Inundated!

Overwhelmed and drugged

And no hope in the near future

For being debugged.

 

For what would we do

Without these apps

That make information as quick

As thunderclaps?

 

Inundated!

For the “want-to-know”

For whom knowledge is power

To have on the go.

 

Little time to sift

And to aptly respond

Thus, this inundation goes on

And unrelentingly on.

 

Inundated!

With incoming info:

The good, the bad and the ugly;

All levels on show.

 

And this is every day

For hours on end

Sifting through information

From stranger and friend.

 

I am fortunate

Since I am a retiree

But think of all those people

Who work daily.

 

 

 

From local politics

To the region and beyond,

To religious and social issues

It’s like a storm. 

 

A tumult as it were

Bombarding the mind

And even for retirees like me,

Such little time.

 

See what I mean?

I am inundated

And to take time off responding

Is not appreciated.

 

I wish I could stop

But I know I cannot

For I am addicted to information;

Yes, the whole lot.

 

Inundated!

Overloaded, overwhelmed!

Only send me what is important

If you are my friend.

 

Not only what’s serious

But the occasional joke

And send me encouraging articles

That give me hope.

 

If I do not respond

You can nudge me again

But regarding harsh criticism,

Please refrain!

 

 

Inundated!

Not with work or rain

But the torrent of information

Is a mighty strain.

 

Stewart Russell © October 13, 2025

 

Life Questions Death Answers

 

 

Life is the question

Which no one can answer.

Death is the answer

Which no one can question.

 

Therefore,

Live the question

Until you find the answer.

 

The marvel is:

When you find the answer

You will not even know,

And none that knew you

Can light on it throw.

 

I can take no credit

For the first seven lines,

However, the rest of the poem

Is assuredly mine.

 

My thoughts on this matter

Went expressly wild

When one of my best friends ever

Suddenly died.

 

The question of life

Relentlessly overwhelmed

When I learnt that my friend

Had left this earth realm.

 

I will mention his name

For he brought me no shame

And I am grateful he befriended me;

Stephen was his name.

 

Stephen Gittens,

As a matter of fact,

There will never be another

He was as unique as that.

 

In the final hour

Of 2022-01-08,

My friend Stephen Gittens

Became Stephen Gittens, the late.

 

This is a jarring sound

As the many questions emerge

And my heart expresses its grief

In a sorrow filled dirge.

 

 

A pastor and educator:

Two complementary blessings

In which he spent most of his life

Catering to the living.

 

To educate was his hallmark

Be it spiritual or secular

And I dare say with the best I knew

He was definitely on par.

 

Be it preaching or teaching

Stephen was committed, let me say,

And through him undoubtedly

Many found their way.

 

Life was the question

Which Stephen could not answer.

Death is the answer

Stephen cannot question.

 

But how could he

Having left this earth realm?

If only he could give an answer

To all that are overwhelmed!

 

  

But we have a consolation:

Death is not his end!

So, we will grapple with the question

Until then.

 

Stewart Russell © January 10, 2022

 

Under and Over

 

 

I knew them well

Well, not that well,

They were somewhat mysterious

I heard people tell.

 

I will refer to them

As under and over,

I won’t mention their watchdog

His name was Rover.

 

I know that I said

I won’t mention his name,

Are you making that an issue?

Are you insane?

 

I may have overstated it

But you don’t understand,

I am telling this story

That is the overall plan.

 

Let me get back

To over and under

And by the way it has nothing to do

With a four-leaf clover.

 

He was under weight

But she was over bearing,

They so got under your skin

You dreaded their appearing.

 

She had over anxiety

Which she under expressed

And he was overwhelmed

And much distressed.

 

Once he over excitedly said

That he underestimated her

And she over exuberantly replied,

“In that we concur.”

 

They used to live together

But operated apart,

He understated the problem

But she over shot the charts.

 

  

They quarreled excessively

And over excitedly so,

And there was nothing one knew

That the other didn’t know.

 

They reached retirement age

But refused to stay at home,

Though married for many years

Each preferred to be alone.

 

Understandably so

Since no honey was in the moon,

And with the overtones and undertones

They never sang the same tune.

 

Their relationship was under stress

And overheated most times,

He was under a cloud

And she was over inclined.

 

Interestingly, over time

The couple had underachieved,

She had overworked

But underpay she had received.

 

This was unfortunate

And he well understood

That they had overshot the mark

Choosing an upscale neighborhood.

 

I hope you understand

Though I may have overstated their case,

But be under no delusion

I wouldn’t want to be in their place.

 

 

Under and over

That is how we view life

Even though all along you thought

It was a man and his wife.

 

We often over project self

And undervalue others

But do we understand ourselves?

Well, that’s another matter.

   

Under and over

Which are you today?

Note: there is a tendency to switch

Depending on what is in the way.

 

Get over yesterday’s problem

Do not be overwhelmed,

And I will be over enthused

If you understand this poem.

 

I may be exasperating

And overly so

But that is only because

I know much more than you know.

 

I wrote it but you said it

You’re no different from me,

When we under or over look others

We are in the mirror we see.

 

 

Understand therefore

I am not underestimating you

So get over yourself

And commit to my view.

 

Stewart Russell © September 2019