What's a robut?

Stolen from our pages and released upon the internet. Enjoy this poem from Vol. 1 Iss. 1.

Rossum's Universal Robot Rebuts

with a nod to Karel Capek and Damon

I would rather clean the house
than rule the world;
too much responsibility
makes me cringe
wishing that I were never made.

Give me mops and brooms
dishes to wash and dry
teach me to play a game of chess
drive you to your work
mow and fertilize the lawn
protect the little ones from harm —
but please, oh please,
leave politics to yourselves.

I have no stomach for war
(or even food)
no violence in my plastic heart
no courage in my metal gears
nor envy in my other parts.

Let me be what I was meant to be
the way that you assembled me
but please, oh please,
depend on me.

Neil Ellman