Robot City

I live in the city of Wanna-Be

In the State of Much-Too-Hard,

And watch for the all If-Only folk

Who stick to their own backyard,

The schools are breeding their robot kids

That I call, I-Know-My-Rights,

The courts acquit them of larceny

And turn them loose in the night.

 

And some are ticketed Not-My-Fault,

Or Somebody-else-Not-Me!

 Along with the other Why-Should-I?

They all just Wanna-Be-Free,

Then I-Had-A-Lousy-Childhood think

They can moan, and cry on the stairs,

While I have a word to answer them:

Find-Somebody-Who-Cares!

 

But often I notice, way out there

The ones who greet with a smile,

And nothing is Much-Too-Hard for them

They go for the extra mile,

The bus conductor who tips his cap,

The woman that works in the Mall,

These were the people I loved out there,

For they made me feel quite small.

 

One night I wandered along the streets

When everyone else was home,

I like to muse in the darkness when

The city is all alone,

Then somewhere out of the darkness loomed

A warehouse, painted black,

And the lights were on, and the door ajar

So I peeked, was taken aback.

 

For there on a line of hangers hung

Those folk I’d met in my day,

Hooked on a slow conveyor belt

They had nothing at all to say,

The woman there with her Can-I-Help

The conductor with glassy eyes,

Just hanging there ‘til the early dawn

When they’d be re-energised.

 

The girl with Have-A-Good Day was there,

And even the friendly cop,

The little old lady of Bless-You-All

That served in the pastry shop,

The young lad parking attendant who

Had said No-Trouble-Sir,

They all hung there on their hangers, marked

Robotics; What-Once-We-Were!

 

There must have been over a thousand there

Or maybe a little more

Along with the kindly You-Keep-Well

The Council were keeping score,

They’d tried to bring back civility

By giving us pleasant Robots,

To counter the surly Who-Could-Care?

With a thousand Forget-Me-Nots.

 

I cleared on out to the country where

The people waved from the fields,

I put my ear to the chests of some

To find they were really real,

There wasn’t a whirr or a ticking clock

So they caught me off my guard,

I’d never return to the city now

In the State of Much-Too-Hard!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Rob Santana]

wow,sounds like you are fortellin' our future as a human race. People seem to be walken around like robots being dehumanized by technology these days. My opinion, technology is a huge distraction that all governments use to their advantage. Governments continue to take over without anyone saying anything,because everyone is to busy walken around with their heads down hypnotized by their mobile devices. When everyone chooses to look up it will be to late.....

[David Scott]

What a telling commentary. I like that you chose to live some place other than that robotic perfection. Nice.

[Baby Ricochet]

The man's a genius

[eatmills]

I wonder if good ol' Vonnegut is wondering "Why didn't I think of that one?" I like how you've seemed to step outside your usual classical self for this piece. Very nice.

[Lisa Ring]

Oh, I have to stop saying, "if only"! If only Wanna-Be and Much-Too-Hard were districts with borders instead of an insipid tone that permeates society. I love this.

[Valentine]

David..you hit the nail on the head with this one..People today do not care enough to be kind to their own families let alone strangers.Go into a store..and finding one person to smile and say hello means I was lucky that day..you aare becoming so good I can't believe what comes out of your head..Just keep them coming..they put a smile on my face and that is hard to do some days..my love to Lyn and you..Kathie

[Kristallo]

This was a truly stunning composition. It reminded me so much of the movie "A.I." where the little robot boy embodies the up most of human goodness, innocence, and devotion. I really liked the twist of how the people you saw the best in were the one's who weren't real- and the quality to which you conveyed this amazing story was nothing short of poetic brilliance. Such keen insights into moral fallibility is rarely matched, you've captured human vices with such regal intelligence. I loved it.

[Tate Morgan]

Stunning brilliant absolutely without peer.This is an epiphany. And don't we all know it? manners gone by the wayside.i was in a shop the other day talking to my wife on the phone I told her I loved her and hung up.The young girl there said" You told her you loved her"! "Yes so i did ""Man she said see that is why i left my boyfriend He never said anything like that to me" I suppose you open doors for women too"Well of course" I said.Well you are a dying breed she said and we are the poorer for it.Has it truly come to the point where men and women consider each other equals in everything and women do not want the door opened for them? Is it truly wrong to help an old woman put her groceries in the car? Would seem it soon will be. What was once normal courtesy is now a rarity. We may get what we deserve and that right quick and deserve it we will .

[Marie]

Brilliant idea--friendly robots to counter the man-made mess of reality.

[MOON]

Lyrical write , so many images and robotic is the name of the game