1Earthling

Someone brought a computer home.
Set it up in their room.
Floppy disks stacked by the screen.
Green text glowing in the dark.

They'd type a line, then hit enter.
Wait to see what happened next.
Nobody talked about it much.
Just another thing to learn.

Most just saw the next small change
as something added to the desk.
Some were already looking further,
trying systems no one knew.

Different lanes forming quietly,
now running side by side.
Some still learning old systems,
while the next had already grown.

Twenty megabytes felt endless.
People laughed, shook their heads.
“No one’s ever filling one of those.”
This will last me all my life.

Manuals stacked beside the keyboard.
Passwords stuck to the screen.
Some stayed back after office hours,
trying hard to make it all work.

Most just saw the next small change
as something added to the desk.
Some were already looking further,
trying systems no one knew.

Different lanes forming quietly,
now running side by side.
Some still learning old systems,
while the next had already grown.

Tetris played between spreadsheets.
Prince of Persia after dark.
Work and home were slowly mixing.
Lines no longer standing still.

Disks arrived through the mail.
Passed from desk to desk at work.
People stayed awake much longer,
waiting for the screens to load.

Tom stayed back running programs.
Numbers scrolling down the screen.
Nobody quite knew what he saw.
Still, he stayed there working late.

Instructions scribbled on notepads.
Printer paper on the floor.
Everyone just worked around it
till the next thing came along.

Most just saw the next small change
as something added to the desk.
Some were already looking further,
trying systems no one knew.

Different lanes forming quietly,
now running side by side.
Some still learning old systems,
while the next had already grown.