Thank you, new
There’s a certain charm
To stuff that’s new
Whether it’s a pack of
Perfectly sharpened pencils
A pristine pair of white sneakers
Or the glassy, spotless phone screen
Preserved under plastic film
One-use static
Frictionless removal
Never a trace of sticky residue
Never a trace of what used to be
Consider it a ceremonious burial
Once it has seen the light
Your screen will never see
A spotless day
Introducing fingerprints
Impact drops
And oops
I think my phone just drowned in the toilet
But that’s fine
We have blurry matte screen protectors
Phone cases built for war
And now our phones can dive into the oceans
Where their obsolete cousins are trashed
There is always a work around
If not, then that’s the next product feature
If you know anything about me
You’ll know I’m that asshole
Who takes everything off the shelf
And examines each and every piece
For faults and scratches
If it’s not in pristine condition
I simply won’t buy it
Because it’s only going
Downhill with every next use
And for the longest time
I felt pretty bad for being so picky
Especially around pragmatists
Who validly point out
It’s not going to stay nice
So why bother scouting out
Two second perfection
Yet something worth preserving
Matters to me greatly
But admittedly
I too get lazy
Sure, better is better
But one chipped corner later
That’s the inflexion point right there
Will I still caress cold stone
Forget it
I know you’ll never read this
But this is for you
Who doesn’t use a phone case
Who will alter a stupid row of buttons
Who takes forever tying shoelaces of new kicks
Who will not only clean but polish
Who will continuously customise and modify
Who doesn’t tolerate compromised prevention
For you
Who is not boxed in by preserving perfection
But embraces every potential
For you
Who will look at something lacking
Fix it and improve it and treasure it
Nothing is ever broken to you
Besides how you see yourself
Thank you for reminding me
That I still care about the little things
That I still care about better
And that I should
Thank you for being precious
Thank you for being new
And I hope you stay new
Forever