The Slam: Slammables

Machine

by CarlNap, Arkansas

You are a cast iron catastrophe,
metal bones beneath puckered plastic skin
break breathlessly
under the pressure of
your tremendous tidal surroundings
and the steady sedative stabs
from humanity.

Who is to judge your mortality?
beyond those camera shutter eyes
and gear-shifted appendages
lies a soul
of a different sort.
You are effortless in your enigmatic mechanics.
Your flawed design only makes you
one of us.

Slammings

I love this because I'm not entirely sure what it is about. The words roll off each other in a kind of pattern; I can visualize the machine without knowing what it is, and it doesn't really matter what it is. It's different and beautifully written.

critiqued by eponine-pontmercy
Dec 20, 2009

My favorite part is the end, with the line, "Your flawed design only makes you one of us." I love the comparison of people to machines, in the way that neither is anywhere near perfect. Our machines reflect the human condition, and are only as good as the creators. Really thought-provoking, and fun to read.

critiqued by etoillenoir, Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 23, 2009

I also really liked this piece. One of the things I admired was that the machine you described does not need to be any specific machine. This poem could be accurately applied to almost any piece of machinery that people have created. This makes the poem quite universal. Well done!

critiqued by NineMuses, New York
Dec 23, 2009

Very good! I enjoyed reading this.  I like how it gave the message that we can't judge each other, and that our flaws make us human.  Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

critiqued by Writer_Shawn18, Springdale
Jan 2, 2010