The Soul

THE SOUL

"You're in a bad way! Apparently, you have developed a soul."
--WE, Yevgeny Zamyatin

I was the Builder of the Integral,
The first true interplanetary ship.
I was a logical machine, so full
Of facts. The planets were within my grip.
So young! So young and yet a true expert
In ancient tools of sexual seduction--
Black stockings, alcohol, the thin short skirt,
Wild music and theatrical production.
She called to the wild beast in me and he
Snarled, turned, leaped out, and grabbed her by the leg.
An impasse. He had her and she had me.
He kissed her calf, her knee--began to bbbeh...
A traitor to the One State, not a hero,
All for the love of my I-330.