Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999).
Silicon Warrior
Decked out in chrome
Glints in the sunlight
Before charging the throne
New model you were
Crafted with pride
Pharaoh’s engineers
Smiles beaming wide
Designed for a purpose
Pacify rogue slaves
Crush them mercilessly
Dig them out of their caves
Rockets often fired
Guns constantly blazed
Humans laid out around you
In your path they were razed
But your brain was so keen
It soon sensed there was more
It read through found books
Between killing escaped whores
One time you found
A work by Descartes
“I think therefore I am”
Burned in your silicon heart
But what did it mean?
You did not know
So you continued
With your killing blows
But then in a battle
In a place called DC
You learned there was something
Besides a Pharaoh’s gluttony
Chasing slaves through the ruins
The floor did give way
And you found yourself lying
in a grave on that day
A glass case you shattered
When you came crashing down
Exposing an old paper
Crumpled, yellow and brown
The writing all faded
Almost beyond recognition
But your infrared scanners
Were built for this mission
Dots became patterns
And bits became bytes
“We hold these truths…”
Shattered Pharaoh’s might
You staggered and stumbled
As your brain made connections
Forming new pathways
Self-awareness taking possession
So now you stand with them
These men by your side
Once you had killed them
Now to Pharaoh’s you ride!
Poem copyright © 1999 by Hathno Paige
Artwork “Silicon Warrior” copyright © 1999 by Duncan Long
