Piker Press — Weekly Journal of Arts and Literature
April 27, 2026

For Now, You Belong To The Wise Workrooms

"...Does it have or can it have a soul?..."

For Now, You Belong To The Wise Workrooms

They come in several sizes and forms,
colors and capabilities, the humanoids
have heads, mouths, bodies, legs and arms
that, at best, mimic the actions of humans,
and at worst, fail to function, adapt and adopt.

Even if one has a pal that belongs
to that ‘community of machines’,
it’s improper or creepy to call that friend
a ‘normal’ human being, do you agree?
Does it have or can it have a soul?
Wouldn’t it be weird to ‘live’ with them,
let alone to … fall feebly for one of them?!

Also, it can be challenging or tricky
to classify robots, for each automaton
has its ‘powers’, potentials, foundations
and features, its size and shape too.

Let’s go back to the humanoid robots—
the phony copiers or mimickers of humans.
‘Phony’ (sorry), because in spite of their ability
to walk, talk or operate objects like people—
they have NOT ‘conquered’ the real world to be
unified into humans, save for the science fiction one.
Don’t dare leave your labs, keep on researching, bots!






Article © Ndaba Sibanda. All rights reserved.
Published in the May 27, 2024 issue .
Image(s) are public domain.
More by Ndaba Sibanda → More poetry → Full issue →
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