Instant noodles ruined the world

Everything is faster now

Time at the two-minute mark

Knowledge sits on a shelf, collecting dust

While we restlessly delay

Scrolling through life

Bellies bloated; souls empty

Labour scorned for taking too long

Ageing held in contempt

Are we there yet?

Where are we going again

Too late, time’s up

-Camille Delaquise

This poem appears in The Precipice, Camille’s third contemporary poetry collection. Instant noodles ruined the world speaks to the spiritual cost of speed — tracing how convenience, distraction, and impatience hollow out thought, labour, and meaning until time itself feels both squandered and gone.

This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.