APPSTREAM FOREST SONG
by Dennis Mombauer
the wechat bubbles over xings and xangas
snapfish migrate appstream
qqs waddle along the riverside
stumbleupon myspaces and foursquares
caretwos buzznet over reeds
a telegram glides gently over the canopy
a whatsapp bings in the distance
facebooks post and note, looking for feed
a flock of skypes burble their song
instagrams rustle with colorful wings
tweeting everywhere, a yahoo in the distance
two googles are hanging out
a tumblr renrens over the forest floor
vibers behind him with pointed flixsters
snapchat! snapchat! it sounds in the bushes
pinterests rise up from the trees
a flickr, a reddit, a flash of youtubes
only the linkedin seems undisturbed
tagged proudly on a branch
tangled in vines
Dennis Mombauer currently lives in Colombo as a freelance writer of fiction, textual experiments, & essays on climate change & education. Co-publisher of “Die Novelle Magazine for Experimentalism”. Publications in various magazines & anthologies. German novel publication “Das Maskenhandwerk” (The Mask Trade) with AAVAA press in 2017. Homepage: www.dennismombauer.com | Twitter: @DMombauer
What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “APPSTREAM FOREST SONG”? Delving into social media is like entering a forest of voices. The poem started with me thinking about Twitter’s icon and imagery, which is a songbird chirping away at other songbirds. I wanted to see how robust this metaphor would turn out if I include other social media apps and give them the attributes of forest animals. I believe it works quite well, because this is what social media has become: a virtual environment indistinguishable from nature. In short: I started with Twitter and worked my way through the most popular social media apps, all the while attempting to visualize them as if they were part of nature.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
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Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
Upcoming
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