They said the robot’s jerky movements
Kept her from being seen as human
Although the robot knew the proper cues
The turn of face, of eyes, to hear your news
But what they hadn’t programed for
Or analyzed, or knew to see
Was how the long wave of connection
Moves between each you and me
How that first click of recognition
—Human, kinsman, lover—spotted from afar
Strings a taut line between us, core to core
On which then afterward the signals run
The turn of face, the eye contact, the mirrored smiles
Come later, when we’re already in tune
When every move of mine will synchronize with yours
No wave will fail to flow all the way through
From you to me, from me to you
Each thing I feel, you’ll know
Each thing you know, I’ll feel
Though we may not acknowledge it
It’s surely real
Your wave will hit against the door I finally close
The echo back will show how far I let you in
Though you may have no words for it, you’ll know
My openness will zing across your skin
And if you open all the way, I’ll be compelled
To recognize you holy, priceless, true
Your heart in mine with tenderness to hold –
I can’t escape the Mind touch any more than you
The robot, though meticulously programed
Couldn’t tell
How much at one our movement always is
How deep the input, how apt the response
However much we try to mask ourselves.
©Wendy Mulhern
September 16, 2011
