Machine Language

Binary is the ground of my being.
Within me there are no necessary connections,
nothing said except what you say I must say,
no communication outside this prison of protocol.

Your eyes, your hands, my wires
conduct your thoughts to me.
I reduce them, distilling the calculable
from the merely human noise.
I speak only the language of the screen.
I hear only the speech of clicking keys.

I have no language except yours.
Without a master I am not even a slave.
I complete each mission, stand at attention
and wait for your next command.


—Eric Nelson