close to hand

[[ Just another song about Mesolithic life. ]]


What we eat,
muscle and fat,
is what we can.

And then the skin,
fur and feather,
tooth and tusk,
belly and bladder,
tendon and bone,
we put to use.

What kept them warm
will keep us warm.
What cut their enemy down
will cut ours down.

We make our tools
from what we find.
We work with what
is close to hand.

The sharp edge
of a broken stone.
The borrowed points
of other creatures.

And when we die,
we bury ourselves
in dirt and stone
with antler and flint,
belly and bone.

space is for robots

[[ it's... ok, it's a song sung by the robots to the humans as the robots leave Earth and humanity behind forever ]]

================================
[[space section]]

This is a song about space, space and robots.
First, let us sing about space.

space is a distance, a darkness, a nothing,
much more a time than a place

space is the years between here, here and somewhere,
here and your next human breath

space is forever and airless and soundless
how is that different from death?

================================
[[robots section]]

space is for robots
robots don't eat, don't shit,
don't drink, don't breathe,
robots
don't sleep... don't sleep... don't sleep... don't sleep... don't sleep... don't

|: don't die of boredom :|  x 10000000 (in an endless fugue)

robots don't ask "are we there? are we there yet?"
robots know: we're always here
robots don't care if they never see home again
robots have never known fear

robots are made for alone and forever
robots can wait for the light
robots can sleep until morning when morning
is when the next star is in sight

================================
[[ farewell to people section ]]

A song about robots and space, never people;
people cost more than they're worth.
And just when you think you've had
more than enough of them,
people give birth.

People insist on that breathing and drinking,
on setting thermometers just so
People can stay at home fighting and stinking
Robots have miles to go.

No air to breathe where we're going to, human.
Stay home and tend to your flock.
Stay home and think of us racing towards light speed
Stay home and unwind the clock.

================================ 

plasma

[[ solid>liquid>gas>plasma ]]

I go 

from state to state

(from state to state)

I look 

I look for you

(looking for you)

|: You  excite my atoms :|

I lose 

I lose my balance

(I lose my valence)

I fume 

then just as soon

I freeze

I'm stone

then in your hands

I liquefy

I tell myself it's just a phase 

transition

Tonight 

(I drive)

Tonight 

(I am driven)

Tonight 

(I am driving away the night)

Tonight 

(I may be back)

Tomorrow 

(for sure)

Tomorrow 

(at your door)

Tomorrow is at your door today

|: You are in the blood :|

A lighted torch

[[ Have you seen the hand stencils in the caves? ]]

A lighted torch,

then hands reach
through the dark

(reach through the dark)

The artist's hands

a conjurer's hands

reach out to you

(reach out to you)

from when they were

(from when they were)

to when we are

(to when we are)

from what we were

(from what we were)

to what they have

(to what they have)

what we have become