Tonight's Poet Corner: *C

*C
by Belinda Roddie

I give you a command.
At first, you don't respond.
Your arms hang
loosely
at your sides
like mangled branches
from a tree with a deformed
face.

I give you a command.
You start to speak,
but your words are cut
as quickly as telephone
wires. Still, you build
up electricity
behind your eyes, like
you have something
to declare.

I give you a command.
You're built from multiple
strands of code, like a
computer philosopher's full
head of hair.
You are not susceptible
to human
persuasion. You need keys
and encryption to function.

This is what we've created:
a rapport connected
by dots and dashes. By segmented
smiles on a punch card. By
reliance
on a single stream
of typewriter rage
to make your body synchronize.

I give you a command.
At last,
you've learned
how to say no.