DIDACTIC: "FIRE IN MY DM" BY IKECHUKWU FRANK.
My phone was glowing,
but my soul was dark.
My battery was dying,
yet something deeper inside me
had already gone flat.
I was connected to thousands,
yet disconnected from myself.
Posting smiles.
Hiding scars.
Collecting likes.
Losing purpose.
Scrolling endlessly
through a river of noise,
drowning while pretending to swim.
Notification after notification.
Message after message.
Video after video.
Laughing at things that healed nothing.
Watching things that built nothing.
Following people
who did not know I existed.
Living loudly online,
yet quietly falling apart.
Then one night,
everything changed.
Not because the screen went off,
but because something awakened within me.
A message appeared.
Simple.
Unexpected.
Uninvited.
Yet impossible to ignore.
It did not ask for my attention;
it arrested it.
It did not entertain me;
it confronted me.
It did not comfort my excuses;
it exposed them.
Suddenly,
the loudest voice in my life
was not a notification.
It was conviction.
That was the moment
fire entered my DM.
Not the fire of destruction,
but the fire of awakening.
The fire that burns away lies.
The fire that exposes chains.
The fire that awakens sleeping dreams.
The fire that reminds a wandering soul
that it was created for more.
We are the generation of screens.
The generation of endless scrolling.
The generation that can reach the world,
yet sometimes cannot reach itself.
We know what is trending,
yet do not know where we are going.
We know how to go viral,
yet struggle to become valuable.
We have mastered connection,
yet forgotten meaning.
We are surrounded by content,
yet starving for purpose.
We are flooded with information,
yet thirsty for wisdom.
The screen has become a mirror,
and many no longer recognise
the person staring back.
Filters hide insecurity.
Followers hide loneliness.
Activity hides emptiness.
Noise hides pain.
While the world applauds appearances,
many hearts are quietly breaking.
Many souls are secretly bleeding.
Many minds are silently exhausted.
Many lives are desperately searching.
But hear this:
Your device is not your enemy.
Your screen is not your enemy.
Technology is not your enemy.
The real battle
is over attention.
Because whatever captures your attention
eventually shapes your direction.
Every scroll plants something.
Every conversation builds something.
Every habit becomes something.
Every click is a vote
for the person
you are becoming.
Some messages carry temptation.
Some carry confusion.
Some carry comparison.
Some carry addiction.
Some carry destruction
dressed as entertainment.
But some carry fire.
The message that awakens purpose.
The video that restores hope.
The conversation that changes destiny.
The truth that interrupts deception.
The voice that reminds you
that you were born
for more than distraction.
Do not underestimate
one moment.
One message can change a life.
One conversation can redirect a future.
One truth can break a chain.
One encounter can ignite a revival.
History has always changed
when ordinary people experienced
extraordinary interruption.
And perhaps,
that interruption
is happening now.
Perhaps this poem
has found you
for a reason.
Perhaps beneath the endless scrolling,
beyond the notifications,
underneath the noise,
there is a voice
calling your name.
Not to condemn you,
but to awaken you.
Not to shame you,
but to transform you.
Not to control you,
but to free you.
You were not created
to spend your life
chasing trends.
You were created
to leave a legacy.
You were not born
to be consumed by distraction.
You were born
to carry purpose.
You were not designed
to become another statistic
in a generation
addicted to attention.
You were designed
to become a light.
A voice.
A builder.
A leader.
A difference-maker.
So when the next notification arrives,
ask yourself:
Will this feed my purpose
or steal my focus?
Will this strengthen my future
or weaken my discipline?
Will this move me forward
or keep me trapped?
Because every message matters.
Every moment matters.
Every decision matters.
And somewhere
between the noise and the silence,
between the scrolling and the searching,
between the distraction and the destiny,
fire is still falling.
Hope is still speaking.
Purpose is still calling.
Lives are still changing.
Dreams are still awakening.
So if your screen
has become a prison,
break free.
If distraction
has become your master,
take back control.
If your attention
has been stolen,
reclaim it.
The world does not need
another distracted soul.
It needs awakened hearts.
It needs courageous voices.
It needs purposeful lives.
It needs people carrying fire.
And when history remembers
this generation,
may it not say
that we lost ourselves
in our devices.
May it say
that we turned our screens
into platforms of purpose,
our messages
into instruments of hope,
and our lives
into proof
that even in the digital age,
fire still falls.
And sometimes—
it begins
with a DM.
© Ikechukwu Frank
- Nigeria
In Fire in My DM, Ikechukwu Frank explores the challenges of living in a digital age where people are constantly connected online yet often feel disconnected from themselves and their purpose. The speaker describes being consumed by social media, endless scrolling, and superficial interactions, which left him feeling empty and directionless.
The poem takes a turning point when a powerful message sparks a spiritual and personal awakening. This "fire" symbolizes truth, conviction, and purpose, challenging the distractions and false fulfillment offered by the digital world. Through this experience, the speaker realizes that the real battle is for human attention, as what captures attention ultimately shapes one's life and destiny.
The poem concludes with a call for readers to use technology wisely, reclaim their focus, and pursue meaningful lives. It encourages the younger generation to move beyond distractions, embrace their purpose, and become positive influences, proving that even in the digital age, transformation and spiritual awakening are still possible.
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