There was once a boy who drew animals
to prove he had a soul.

He drew tall creatures with long wire spring necks
quenching their midday thirst at the watering hole.

And small creatures with bones bolted together
perched in trees singing mating calls
of rhythmic keyboard clicks.

poor creatures
wings like hinges
aching to take off for the open ocean.

poor beautiful creatures
claws, shells, and scales
a metallic mosaic
assembled from loose car parts.

thriving creatures
who upset everyone so dearly.

Don’t you know why Tommy?

we all look at the veins in our wrist,
and for a flicker of a second
we see wires
cold blue electricity pumping through us.

*Inspired by the Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “Never Let Me Go”