Death Of A Netizen Poem by Nika McGuin

Death Of A Netizen

Rating: 2.8


The Internet:
Like a giant fishing-net,
draws out all matter of seafood

The World Wide Web:
Ensnares us all in its network
and we are eventually wiped out

But a netizen's death is odd, hence
they may not truly be bereft of life
but simply in a state of abeyance

They're in a bizarre kind of limbo
you can not tell, alive or dead
there is nobody to ask who'd know
it's a mix of befuddlement and dread

There is no closure in such a death
there's no funeral, no official mourning
Instead, posts are their last puffs of breath
what is left of the netizen, if a site is closing?

Saturday, February 22, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: death
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Inspired by the mystery of Ronberge:
Ronberge was/is(uncertain) an amazingly talented poet(I heard he was also a musician but i never heard his music so I cant say.) He lived in Quebec and spoke french often. He had three Poem Hunter accounts, an All Poetry account, a YouTube, Myspace and several other accounts which all say he hasn't been online in at least seven years. A few of his poems remain on Poem Hunter but its impossible to see his biography or get in contact with him. His poem 'Ah Love' is ranked #117 out of 500 on Poem Hunter by the way. I know for a fact that he was married with two kids. He published four books of poetry 'Incite Aloud, Insight Allowed, ' 'Don't Think When Thriving! , ' 'A Trilogy of Vanity, ' and 'The Minute Menace.' All of his books are unavailable on Amazon. Its a mystery to say the least. It got me thinking, what happens to a person's account and their fans when they die. Nobody knows what happened to them and they're pronounced a dead netizen. Though they may or may not be dead.

Update,5/13/14:
I emailed Ronberge a while back not really expecting a response - but I got one! I'm glad to know he is still alive ^_^
Here is his response:
Dear Nika McGuin aka PinkCoils,

Thank you for your interest in me and my work.

I'm still alive although I confess to have not been very active on the net and in my writing these past few years.
I'll get back to it eventually - don't worry - no shortage of ideas at my end.

Interesting poem 'Death of a Netizen'. I wasn't aware that I was a mystery (or my leaving PH was) .

Best regards and godspeed with your writing.

Amicalement vôtre,
Ronberge
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Daniel Brick 07 March 2014

I don't know which is the more compelling reading: the poem or the prose reaction. They work together but as the poem demonstrates, the actual fate of this individual is unknown. And in the poem you point out there is no closure; also, the situation is a kind of limbo. All of which makes for an unsettling feeling in the reader, an unease about things we take for granted, like the internet, like accounts at YouTube et al. It's a brave new world we're in, and no doubt there will be many other mysteries like this one over time. BTW Kwaye AKA Ash Flame sent me a message yesterday. Give him my regards. I was impressed by the poem the two you co-wrote. There was a lot of raw energy in it.

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Dan Reynolds 23 February 2014

A mystery indeed. I feel I may have to investigate further, Nika.

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