4 July 2005 | Vol. 5, No. 2
pessimism? or robotics?
i am able to sit through an extremely funny movie
without making a noise or changing my facial expression
i am incapable of laughing without trying to laugh
i am never interested in anyone
unless they first show interest in me
and those things never work out anyway
i try not to think of myself as person
but a metal object, built suddenly by machines in one morning
something impossible to hurt emotionally
every once in a while i look in the steel mirror
and see the steel mirror
About the author:
Tao Lin's stories are forthcoming in The Cincinnati Review, Other Voices Magazine, The Portland Review, Opium Print, and Bullfight Review. These are stories from his collection, Bed, which will be coming out in the future. He lives in New York City.
For further reading:
See the complete list of work by Tao Lin at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 5, No. 2, where "pessimism? or robotics?" ran on July 4, 2005. List other work with these same labels: poetry.
