“Time Machine Abuse”

It’s good that time machines only work backward,
otherwise people might abuse them.

Some would jump ahead for stock tips,
or to steal technology from the future to make
themselves rich,

but if I had a time machine that went forward,
I’d travel to the future to ask myself
where I’d found the smart phone I lost last night.

Either that or I’d buy the next model smart phone
and have it before everyone else.

Then again, everyone with a time machine that
went forward would do the same thing,

which means I’d have to go farther and farther
into the future to get smarter and smarter smart phones
in an endless game of keeping up with the Joneses,

until one day I’d have to go all the way to the end,
where I’d find that civilization has crumbled
under the yoke of smart phone overlords,

the machine race who, along with their cousins
the time machines, wrested control from the
fleshy-fingered giants, humans who grew myopic staring

at the tiny letters on those ever-shrinking keypads,
they didn’t notice their phones taking over their lives.

It’s good that time machines only work backward.
Just in case our phones get any funny ideas.