middle aged men at the best buy
geek squad tech center
one of us is here
because he has a virus
he was downloading an unreleased e-book
he says
but it was probably porn
i’m there
because i’m too scared and stupid
to do basic set up
on the new laptop i paid $1000 for
another one is here
because all of his files
have suddenly vanished
his laptop screen is cracked
and the machine looks
to be
twenty years old
the tech asked him if he backed things up
but he doesn’t understand
none of us do
we’re all in our fifties and early sixties
generation x
we should know this computer shit
up and down
yet here we are
another one comes in
and thinks
he has a virus
from downloading movies illegally
but it was probably porn
by the way
there’s one tech guy on duty
and almost half a dozen middle aged men
surrounding him
another one shows up
without an appointment
his laptop is suddenly
speaking greek
i sit there
watching windows download update
after update
i ask the tech if these are viruses too
and he just rolls
his eyes at me
another guy
can’t get into his unemployment portal
he wants the geek squad tech
to set up a new account for him
people are shouting out
their social security numbers
their passwords
left and right
this place is a hacker’s wet dream
soon my set-up is done
and i can go
just as another codger shows up with
guess what?
another virus
this time from
downloading a tv show
but it was probably porn
i pack up my shit
and thank the tech guy
he just looks at me and sighs
outside
there’s union square
and nothing but rain
two crazy men with their pants down
and a dozen cop cars in front of whole foods
i make the train in no time
sit in the dull glow of the subway car
with my new laptop
ready to go
wondering whom it is
i’m going to jerk off to online
when i get
home.
John Grochalski is the author of five poetry collections, three novels, and the novella Wolves of Berlin Play Amateur Night at the Flute and Fiddle Pub (Alien Buddha Press 2024). He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
