Outsourcing ourselves

[Firebird]

It all started
when she got
a mobile phone
and outsourced
the memory
of her mother's
number
and birthday.

Sometime later,
she bought her
a dog.

[ray miller]

Don't get it.

[Antcliff]

Not sure I do either. Hmm.

[Joao]

I have a guess. She is neglecting her mother, having other things fulfil her daughterly duties: her phone to remember her mother's birthday, the new dog to keep her company. It makes sense to me.

[Macavity]

I read the outcomes being examples of distancing, disengagement and substitutions for contact. Not sure about that repetition of title in text.

best

mac

[PaulSteveLaurence]

Some kind of distancing. Removing closeness. More could be made of it. Interesting idea. Putting responsibility in arms of others. Dog as substitute for mother?

[Boat]

Hello, Tristan.

OK, here goes nothing.

She lives at home with her old grey haired mother. When she gets a mobile she gets a life. She 'outsources' her old grey haired mother's number to family and friends, they can take some of the responsibility for mum now.
Feeling a tad guilty she buys her old grey haired mum a cocker spaniel for company as she is not around so much now.

I know it's crap but I like it.

Regards.

Pat.

P.S. I can't tell you what I think of the poem until I know what it is about.

[k-j]

It's pretty clear to me what it's about - the phone now remembers her mother's number and birthday, so she doesn't have to, so she gradually stops caring about her mother, and ends up outsourcing the caring to a dog.

However I don't think the brevity is justified by the wit; there just isn't enough here. It's just a thumbnail sketch.