This entry was created by Megan Sapnar and Ingrind Ankerson. This digital flash poem was published in 2001. It was published on Poems That Go. This digital poem has both audio, text and images and is in the English language. The software used to create this work was Adobe flash 5. Cruising tells the story of Joanie, a woman who is going for a drive, in search for a new lover. As she drives through Wisconsin with her friends they meet new people along the ride.

This piece initially has a lot going on and it takes a bit to figure out the navigation but once you get going it is a very simple and easy electronic literature piece to follow along with. There is a woman’s voice who goes along with you and reads the poem to you. As you move the cursor along with the story this determines the speed at which the story is told to you. You cruise through the text and it makes you feel like you get to determine parts of the story. It gives you a sense of control and freedom. When you take a step back and review the overall experience of this electronic literature piece it makes you think of yourself which is the deeper message. I thought about times when I am in the car looking out the window. Everything just flies by me so quickly before I can even think about what I am seeing. The story is aiming to capture your personal emotions as well as experiences and wants you to reflect on how fast things go by in life. If you do not ever stop and slow down to take a closer look at the things around you then life will not ever have meaning. We miss so many things because we are not taking a deeper look at what is right in front of us. What I like about this poem is that is has so many elements and is a story that is being told to you. I personally enjoy these kinds of poems rather than trying to figure out everything on my own which is often frustrating. Lots of digital works require the reader to almost be too involved that the overall meaning can get lost. Interaction is good as long as it makes sense and adds to the piece which “Cruising” does very well.