The Indifferent Song of C. Acer

by Mari Ness
Issue 11: Governance

untitled, © grandfailure/Adobe Stock

We went then, you and I
to the warehouses spread out beneath the sky—
like weasels shifting through tall sawgrass
We went, slinking past the shuttered stores,
the trendy cafes, the nail salons—
Hunting for supplies
Cheap supplies. Fine supplies.
The thing we cannot live without.
Oh do not ask, where is it.
A keystroke beckons. Press it.

In the room the robots come and go
chirping of workers on furlough.

And indeed there will be time—
in between the long commutes,
the endless pings, all the DMs—
Indeed there will be time.
There will be time
for infused tea, bags
dropped by drones near the waiting door,
time to click the next button—
There will be time. There must be time.
What else are these warehouses for?
The shuttered shops hold against a restless wind.

In the room the robots come and go
chirping of workers on furlough.

And indeed there will be time
to disturb
the universe—
to dare to question the growing dead,
to know what it is, and what is meant.

Our gardens sink into repose.
We speak in silent swipes.
We grow old. We grow old.
The robots cut peaches in the cold.

 

Mari Ness

Mari Ness

Mari Ness has published poetry and fiction in Tor.com, Clarkesworld Magazine, Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine, Fireside Magazine, and Apex Magazine. Her poetry novella, Through Immortal Shadows Singing, is available from Papaveria Press, and her essay collection Resistance and Transformation: On Fairy Tales is now available from Aqueduct Press. For more, please check out her website at marikness.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter at @mari_ness.