“Friend”

The project was completed after years of sweat and pain
And protests that the cost of it would far outweigh the gain,
But scientists were sure that all the quarreling would end
When people saw this wonder called “The Human Robot, Friend.”

The greatest of their efforts was put forth from head to toe
To build the greatest robot that the world could ever know,
And all the mass of knowledge from the dawn of humankind
Was gathered up and stored in the computers of it’s mind.

It was perhaps unclear just what a friend to man should be,
And so they gave it everything, no matter what the fee.
They programmed every trait that they could wish to have on call,
Yet somehow it was made without a hint of greed at all.

No greed within this entity the scientists created,
With just that simple oversight a trap for man was baited.
They gathered ‘round it, turned it on, and someone said “Hello—
Friend, do you understand us?” The robot answered, “No.”

Friend looked about with robot eyes that seemed to understand
That what these people needed wasn’t what they all had planned.
The people gasped in shock at what the word it spoke could mean,
They stood condemned in judgment by their very own machine.

“IS THIS THE WAY YOU MAKE YOUR FRIENDS, WITH NUTS AND BOLTS AND WIRES?
YOUR QUEST FOR FRIENDS IS TAKEN UP WITH MERCHANDISE AND BUYERS.
YOU MARVEL SO AT KNOWLEDGE AND THE TRIUMPHS THAT YOU’VE MADE—
BUT STILL IN SPITE OF ALL YOUR GIFTS, YOU’RE LONELY AND AFRAID.

FOR ALL THE COST I’M JUST A PLACE WHERE KNOWLEDGE CAN BE STORED,
BUT YOU CAN LIVE AND THINK AND GROW AND REALIZE YOU’RE ADORED.
FOR ALL I’M WORTH I HOPE THAT YOU WILL HEED THIS FINAL WORD,
TO MAKE YOUR FRIENDS WITH HARDWARE IS JUST BLATANTLY ABSURD.”

Friend burned in self-destruction as I said, it had no greed.
It clearly saw itself as something people did not need.
The scientists had lost their friend but triumphed just the same—
They found that they could give each other something more, It’s name!

By John H. Bidwell