Heather has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Moravian College and has been freelance writing for more than 12 years.

People cringe at the idea of reality TV because of its lack of reality

Still they tune into these programs to turn off their brains

Roll their eyes at the silliest unfolding on their screens

Turned on the television to watch the first episode of new show

The host described that true love is just around the corner

Everyone looked simultaneously to find only their dog was

Caused nothing but a stifled laugh at the idea of love

Being so close and yet so far that it was invisible to you

Sounds like a commercial for a ridiculous product

That had no real hope of working; everyone just bought for curiosity

Or due to an addiction of watching those shopping channels

Now, back to the show's scandalous synopsis about the star

One person's quest for true love wrapped in a single season

Full of brief dates in one on one sessions or in a group one

Cameras recording every word, every kiss, and every moment

Nothing was off-limits and hard to tell if any of it was real

Could be a backhanded grab for reality show infamy

How do you truly know someone when millions of people

Were watching and dissecting your every move and decision

Hard to tell if someone was being genuine or putting on a play

By pretending to be someone they're not to win a contest

A rigged contest where the winners determine if both

Are made for each other in holy matrimony or a long engagement

Realizing that staged compatibility failed once the cameras were off

Viewers found something else to watch and gossip about at work

A future that was unsustainable and livable by EPA standards

Two people who had nothing in common except a false idea of love

Lack of chemistry and connection made the supposed engagement

Come apart at the seams; ring returned in two months or less

End up on the spin-off show finding a new connection on an island

More drama ensues and one of them walks away into the sunset

With someone else and their own show to boot

All's well that ends well, sort of

One of them still had to leave alone to the confines of their bleak future

While their original intended had no intentions of looking back

Figuring out what it means to love yourself

Before choosing to allow someone else to join the party

No cameras necessary, thankfully.

Comments

Lorna Lamon on December 02, 2019:

There are too many of these shows out there and I believe they send out the wrong message. Your poem gives an honest account of why it is so important to learn to love yourself first. Excellent.