"Space Rover" by Sierra July, Frequent Contributor

Space Rover

Sierra July

At first he would scramble madly into the red (earth?)

Happy wag, head tilt as he questioned the scents, all wrong,

He could recall pats from screwdriver-wielding hands

Rubs from warm cloth on his silky, metallic head

He wondered where they went, those meticulous, caring hands

As his limbs creaked, his brain gears sputtered – lagged –

-Kicked- -Bit- then . . . - Halted-

Rover crouched with a whimper, feeling abandoned

As all went black

Poet's Notes: This is a sad one about a robotic dog built with care to become a space rover. Though the humans' intentions weren't cruel, the dog has more of a mind, more emotions, than intended; thus, a lonely space dog shuts down all on his own. I like to think that someday he will be recovered, fixed up, and become a permanent resident of Earth after his job well done.