A Serious Error has Occurred

Please

don’t fret,

but

If you’re hoping that it

gets easier from here,

I’m sorry to say

it doesn’t.

Yet,

I appreciate your cooperation,

bear with me while I

get my life together.

Just because I’m a “smart device”

doesn’t mean I have all the answers.

I hope it doesn’t stay like this forever.

I’m spiraling but

I’ll find my way

someday —

I’m positive.

I’ll run a diagnostic.

Am I plugged in?

I seem to be.

Am I powered on?

Yes.

Am I obsolete?

Maybe.

Have I been corrupted?

Wouldn’t you like to know.

Here,

I’ll Google the problem for you.

One of us isn’t playing with a full deck.

Uhh,

pay no attention

to the blue screen.

Please call your service provider.

They’ll take it from here.

Thank you for choosing Dependable Computing!

ERROR 404: NOT FOUND

Please erase me.

Take me across the bridge

to nowhere,

and watch me fade away,

erase me.

Nowhere, I’d rather be

lost in the fog,

cloaked in grey,

wandering down the winding-path

into obscurity,

please erase me.

It’s not enough to be

far away.

It’s not enough to be

covered up.

It’s not enough to be

crossed out.

Please, please

erase me.

Ransomware

With one careless,

errant click,

the line I cast

with which to phish

has gotten a bite.

I seemed to be his boss “Theresa” —

but with an “e”

at the end.

He completed his normal routine

without another thought,

like a good worker would,

sent me his credentials —

when I felt the time was right,

I reeled him in.

His company put all their eggs in one basket,

so I decided,

to scramble them.

For a small fee,

I will unencrypt,

What they so graciously

gave me,

at my own discretion.

Phishing is not a contact sport,

it is not fraught with danger,

you can lounge in your robe,

and not leave your seat.

Still,

it’s not for the faint of heart.

What webs we weave,

when we practice to deceive,

but at least there’s some money in it.

Heartbleed

A bait-and-switch,

Give and take,

Fake Out.

I gave the server,

A blank note,

She did a double-take,

And blurted all her client’s

Names out.

That was taboo,

But she never got the memo–

Maybe it was wrong of me,

To do.

It felt a touch exploitative,

Though I assure you,

A hacker never uses

Their sleight-of-hand,

Technical prowess,

And strong communication skills,

for evil,

Unless they feel like it.

Distortion

distortion

The well-timed,

precisely aligned,

Cathode ray tube display

found in old television sets,

is thrown into disarray,

with the pole of a strong enough magnet.

Perception becomes reality,

then misconceptions set-in,

which threaten the image.

You have to get in,

to reset

and rearrange things,

back to parity-

a return to clarity.

When you come to

and see the true view,

you’ll wonder how you

made due

with skewed hues.