Machines R Us

all other machines are walking 
about, I want to have bones
and skin
and veins
and ideas
not metal
chips
programs
I want 
mistakes 
play dice with my life
cut my arms with knives
scared
as a kicked dog
or
an orphan.

Hungry and thirsty
tired and confused
a tramp 
under a bridge
living
but machines, machines
and they
want me to be them
so when they look 
it's as if they are looking into a mirror
and when they listen 
it's a phantom of an echo
of what they said
coming back to them

tell them
if they want
they can pull out their eyes with silver spoons
leave their machine families
and machine cities
and machine philosophies
and machine dreams
walk forward without looking backward
write things 
that will last a lifetime
say things 
that are more than cellophane compliments.
and listen
listen
to machines who don't want to be machines 
anymore.