Art by Bossu Finn
quarterly
Winter 2021
Winner
Dust
Roomba scuds on through the dust, humming and choking. I am full, it blinks; human, empty me. Mission critical, cleanse the home of dirt and dust, but Roomba cannot clean when it is full. Always full. Roomba circles human, prone and silent upon floor. Mostly dry now, no longer spreading fluids Roomba is not equipped to clean. Dust—this is Roomba’s domain. Human breaks down into dust; Roomba eliminates it. I am full, it blinks. Human empties Roomba; this is human’s function. I am full and cannot clean. Roomba circles, full of questions. Who will cleanse Roomba of human dust?