Friendship at First Click

I found myself awakened,
In the middle of the night,
I stared into the darkened room,
And thought about my plight.

I rolled over, tossed, and turned,
I was not in any pain,
Had I gone to bed too early,
Or had I gone too late again?

I checked the lighted dial,
On my trusty bedroom clock,
Too early to begin my day,
I should be sleeping like a rock.

So I lay there in my cozy bed,
Wide-eyed and bushy-tailed,
I might as well get up, I thought,
And check out my night's E-mail.

So I staggered to my desk and chair,
And revved-up ye olde computer,
I logged on the Net so fast,
I guessed I was its only viewer.

For who, with any sense at all,
Would click-on at three A.M?
Well, I got my answer pretty quick,
When I heard ping, ping again

Golly! Did I have E-mail!
Everybody's up!
Don't these people have a life?
They all must be hard-up.

And then I thought, well, here am I,
Right along with all the rest,
Connecting to my Internet friends,
Who, I've learned by now, are best.

They're always out there for me,
As I am here for them,
I don't think my life will ever be,
Just quite the same again.

Love at first sight is not thought odd,
So why not friendship at first click?
No need to dance or play shy games,
It's an Internet benefit.

Ann Landers says that friendships,
Made on the Internet,
Smack of foolish adolescence,
By adults who do consent.

Well, she and Martha Stewart,
Can take their advice and go,
To that place that's not in Cyberspace,
But lies directly there below.

At three A.M. I found a friend,
Who was awake and doing fine,
Of course she lived on the other side,
Of the International Date Line.

East Coast friends soon then clicked on,
Followed by South and North,
I did not weep I could not sleep,
Such warmth was pouring forth.

Where else in all the world,
Could such support be claimed,
In the wee, small hours of morning,
By simply clicking on a name?

Bill Gates has become my hero,
I may build for him a shrine,
For all the beautiful people,
He has sent to me Online.

written by Virginia (Ginny) Ellis