[Martin Elster]

What You Have Built

The surface of my flesh is undepressed,
although a dog has bitten me. Cold rain
can’t make me shiver. I will never strain
my heart ascending steps. No organs nest
inside my body cavities. I’m blest
with powers no man enjoys. The steady chain
of thoughts that flow through what you call my “brain”
makes Einstein look retarded. I don’t rest.

Your rocket vehicles routinely blast
me far beyond the moon. I do not wilt
from ultraviolet rays. Don’t breathe. Someday
(quite soon) I’ll replicate. What you have built
will use you. You’ll be haunted by your past —
an end that even I cannot allay.