Cavemen and women
rushed to the injured,
as long as it was safe,
not to help, but to gape.
Whether genetic or acquired,
vicarious horror seekers
have always hastened to disaster
to feast on the suffering of others,
memorizing gory images
to be savored later.
Technology inadvertently
made a gift to ghouls,
the smartphone with video
so every drop of blood,
every bit of gore,
can be recorded
in hi-definition
color and sound,
to be drooled over
again and again.
~ Gary Beck
New York City, USA