Why is a Man Watching Me?

Why is a Man Watching Me?

By: Romina



One fine, fine morning, in the month of May,

Little Johnny Jenkins woke up to greet the day.

He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed,

Brushed his teeth and rubbed his head.

Outside his window, birds were singing loud;

A beautiful view, not a single cloud.

Smiling to himself, head full of dreams,

Of all his day plans, his hopes, his schemes.

He stretched his arms, one-two, one-two,

To prepare for what he was about to do.

He head for the door, not a moment to spare,

Straight into the beauty of his…

COMPUTER CHAIR.

       

May twenty-eighth of two thousand and twenty,

Little Johnny Jenkins was addicted, like so many.

Living in the age of computers, of speed.

Technology was not just a privilege, but a need.

Booting up his computer, screen glowing bright,

He readied himself to be there until midnight.

Logging on to Google, Facebook, and Skype,

Little Johnny Jenkins sure did know how to type.

In a minute, one hundred words flew across the page,

The world was at his fingertips, the world was his stage.

A hit of the key, there appears, “We’re watching you, John”;

Along with the letters “NSA”, so Johnny called “MOM!”

Down the staircase and rushing around,

Little Johnny Jenkins’ mom came, asking “what’s going down?”

With her son pointing through tears at the computer screen,

His dear old mom looked at what was causing this scene.

There was Uncle Sam, his big top hat and beard,

A serious look on his face, one to be feared.

Placing a hand gently on the top of John’s head,

His mom whispered, “Don’t worry, don’t fret”.

Turning off the computer, and unplugging the cord,

She realized that this situation could not be ignored.

Fearful and curious, Johnny asked, “What’s the NSA?”

Sighing, his mom said, “Listen to what I have to say.”

“Formally established on October 24, 1952,

With the help of President Truman, the NSA made its debut.

The National Security Agency (NSA), is a government group,

Which specializes in gathering intelligence, in getting the scoop.

Signals Intelligence, Information Assurance, and Computer Network Operations,

As part of the NSA, gathers information and data, to best all other nations.

Its mission is to protect our country from foreign powers,

As well as gain an advantage, through careful monitoring at all hours.

Monitoring radios, phones, and other forms of communication,

Its original purpose was soon to make a transformation.

In New York in 2001 on the morning of the eleventh of September,

The Twin Towers fell due to Al-Qaeda, and its members.

Stealing two planes and destroying the two towers,

Resulted in many lives lost, in pain that was not just ours;

This malicious attack on our country, was a tragic affair,

That shook not only us, but nations everywhere.

Following this act of terror, our country sprang into action,

The president declared war, and the world witnessed our reaction.

On the foreign front was the battle and fighting,

But here in our own nation, further changes were igniting.

The USA Patriot Act, was signed into law by our president;

Redefining terrorism and changing the lives of US residents.

It was declared that foreign enemies were not the only threat,

That there were enemies here, and we were to catch them, you bet.

Searches were conducted, immigrants were detained,

The FBI searched phone calls, emails, records, all unexplained.

And so, even now, the NSA intercepts all types of communication,

In an effort to prevent future attacks against our nation.

Tapping our phone calls and listening close

Reading our emails, our messages, our posts,

Recording all virtual and electronic movement,

The NSA is aimed towards US improvement.

But tell me, sweet child, was this the right solution,

Or is this a violation of the Constitution?

Is this for our protection, as the government cites?

Or are we now stripped of our inalienable rights? 

I’ll leave it to you, Johnny Jenkins, to decide on this matter;

Did this speech make an impact, or was it just chatter.

But please son, I’m begging you, please,

Next time you go online, take a moment to freeze,

And think of what you say, what you post, what you do,

Because remember that somewhere, someone’s watching you”.