I never really trusted it,
When he said it was the latest model and half-off.
What a steal!
More like stealing information, I joke.
More like an invasion of privacy, I croak.
More like I know nothing good comes out of something so smart.
Something too intelligent.
Something that can compute faster than me, that can read faster than me.
That can sift through thousands of articles in the time I take to eat a bite of cereal.
My mother told me to hold my friends close and enemies closer,
But I don’t want this thing close at all.
It watches like the looming shadow of some unknown monster,
But without any eyes, ears, not even a mouth.
I don’t go near it, it stays there, on the tabletop,
Plugged in with the long white cord that tangles around the coffee pot.
It stands there, half a foot tall, three little glowing dots.
Little orbs of light, calling me, enticing me, tricking me.
It tries to win me over,
It says, “have a great day” and “want to hear a joke?”
I don’t like jokes.
Sometimes I question whether someone really is behind the little dots.
Some person, sitting in a broken computer chair,
Drinking water while watching,
Watching, watching, watching.
Watching as the household passes by, watching the credit card numbers, the birthday cards, the size tags on brand new clothes.
It eats and eats, it never gets full.
Always hungry for some sensitive data, information I never normally would share with a stranger.
He says it’s great, that it makes life so much easier
Watch as it schedules my appointments, recommends recipes, plays my favorite music…
Watch as it suggests throw blankets in my favorite color…
Clothes in my size…
Snacks in my favorite flavor…
Cakes for the day I graduate…
Plane tickets to the foreign country I mentioned once…
Wait.
I never told it these things…
Right?