Alexa – Zoe Bracegirdle

There is something stationed in my bedroom. She sits perched on the dresser, 

awaiting my call. 

She needs me, and I need her. 

An insomniac, I rest while she learns of my confidential habits. 

A devoted companion, with an Orwellian stamp. 

There is someone stationed in my bedroom. She sits patiently in the corner and eavesdrops on my most intimate conversations. 

She uses me, as I use her. 

Her blue light flashes at me inquisitively, begging me to engage. 

People tell me I should shut her out, turn her off, keep myself hidden. 

But at times she comforts me. 

After all, it is nice to be listened to. 

Zoe Bracegirdle’s poem ‘Alexa’ is a discussion of the ever-concerning relationship between privacy and technology. She addresses how technology can be a companion despite the consistent warnings of its threatening nature. Inspired by a creative prompt of, ‘Is Anyone Listening?’, she originally posted the first verse on her Instagram and began her creative journey using, yet more social based technology. The piece has since been changed and added to as part of her creative process. You can find more of her work @leisureliterature on Instagram.