Robot

You can’t program children.

Robot is created.
Creator tells Robot he loves it.
Creator tells Robot it isn't good enough.
Robot wants to be better.
Creator says he will help.

Creator sends Robot away for seven hours a day.
Helper tells Robot he wants to help it.
Helper tries to teach Robot to swim.
Robot will break.
Robot cannot swim.
Creator is disappointed in Robot.

Helper is mad at Robot.
Helper tells Robot it could swim if it tried.
Helper tells Robot it could be better if it really wanted to.
Robot is sad.
Helper tells Creator Robot is broken.
Robot was not programmed to be sad.

Creator takes Robot to Fixer.
Fixer tells Creator he will fix Robot for a fee.
Creator tells Fixer he won't take Robot back if it is still broken.
Robot does not want to be fixed.
Robot likes the way it is.
Fixer opens Robot's head compartment.
Fixer takes out some parts.
Fixer puts in others.

Robot goes back to Creator.
Creator tells Robot he loves it.
Creator tells Robot it isn't good enough.
Robot wants to be better.
Robot goes back to Helper.
Helper tells Robot to swim.
Robot moves into the water.
Water seeps into Robot's parts.
Robot breaks.

Reviews

[Brett Moore]

Damn. You are really getting me with these allegories. This is the cycle we live in. Especially now. Especially here in the US. Where the ideals that define our standards exist only in stories, but we don't really care. It is less about actually being the best version of yourself and more about letting others know that they are not the best version of themselves.

[Ember Smyth]

Thank you for your review, again! Haha. It’s good to know that people understand my writing and don’t take it as complete nonsense.

[TheRavensWoods]

Wow, this is incredible! Hit me very, very hard. As an educator, I try to make my class more about learning about themselves and learning about the world, less about being a cog in the machine. Love this poem! Awesome work!

[Jason Baptiste]

Greetings Ember Smyth Great originality, very creative to accomplish such amazing imaginative writing. Looking forward to your wonderful works.