A 365 word Thursday Prompt for 06/13/2019
Prompt word: jolly
With apologies to Don McLean

Bye Bye, Network and Pie

By SiriusDF

A long, long time ago,
I can still remember when programming made me smile
We made a Network for the people to dance
Make their lives jolly for a while

But Eternal September made me shiver
As Commerce sought to deliver
Bad news from the office
The Internet became Wall Street's bride
Just another Asset buried deep inside
The day Networking died.

They were singing
Buy buy our prognosis of lies.
Plan your future for the quarter, when the fourth quarter goes dry.
And the good ole Mainframe boys were drinking whisky and rye.
Singing, "This'll be the day COBOL dies. This'll be the day COBOL dies."

Corralled into a digital place, humans lost in cyberspace
with no time left for fellowship
Come on, malware spread, malware invade, an earwig for the brain
Cause surveillance is Zuckerman's true friend
And I watched them strut on the boardroom stage
Fists clenched in impotent rage
A corporation born in Hell
Brought forth that addictive spell
And as the trolls swarmed the forum halls
Igniting flame wars for the master's ball
I saw Zuckerman's mask smile
The day Networking died

he was singing
Buy buy our prognosis of lies.
Plan your future for the quarter, when the fourth quarter goes dry.
And the good ole Mainframe boys were drinking whisky and rye.
Singing, "This'll be the day COBOL dies. This'll be the day COBOL dies."

I found an old file of songs and wanted to play a joyful tune
But my smartphone turned it away
Went down to the old exchange, hoping I could find a way
But the man there said the protocols couldn't play.
And in the streets, the kids sat frozen
Tied to smartphones with faces unspoken
All their passion was broken
And the three men I admire most
Ritchie, Thompson and JWZ
Cashed in their chips and abandoned the Coast
The day Networking died.

I hear the Gartner boys singing,
Buy buy our prognosis of lies.
Plan your future for the quarter, when the fourth quarter goes dry.
And the good ole Mainframe boys were drinking whisky and rye.
Singing, "This'll be the day COBOL dies. This'll be the day COBOL dies."