GHOST IN THE MACHINE

As machines stealthily expropriate human roles, here's a humorous take on a serious subject.

CO-OP ROBOTS

At the Co-Op Easter function,
machines that now do check-out work
all behaved without malfunction,
none got drunk or went berserk.
Instead, they stood there, screen to screen,
extremely boring, drably grey,
exchanging messages in green:
Thank you for shopping here today ...
One said this to the others, then
they all, in chorus, said it too,
repeating those same words again
as though, somehow, it all rang true.
They didn’t circulate or dance
but droned on until late at night.
The ballroom was a bare expanse
with not a human being in sight.