i scrape the bottom of my bucket
to find traces of emotion under my short fingernails

not enough for my on-stage production, however.

i'm merely a robot,
designed to work at maximum efficiency
with no error

but what about emotion?
i ask, mining myself like a forty-niner
they say,
you're too young
what the hell do you need emotions for?

they say they're more trouble than what they're worth

but, i want to feel something
without jeopardizing my efficiency
and how others perceive my efforts

is this curiosity my own?
or, like everything else,
is it a man made sentiment
hidden deep within my membrane?