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You on your first lungs?
The original, some parts still tinted pink
The rest green and clogged

It would be so easy, she thinks
To ask for a replacement
Human, maybe, slipped in underneath her breasts
Or better yet, something mechanical
Rising and falling on a machine’s time
The anti-rejection meds wouldn’t be so bad
Compared to all this

They would put them in
Sleek and carbon fiber, nanotubes and filtering intact
Now you are whole they would say
Now your life belongs to us

Outside the city would be neon. On her right breast
A pulse would beat
Charged, semi-charged, seek a power source immediately.

More human than human?
Maybe. The fantasy of cyborgs and androids so real.
Would it be worth it, to breathe deeply again?

You on your first lungs?
Yes, but I won’t be for long.



Elizabeth Kestrel Rogers is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh with an MSc in Creative Writing. She now lives in California, dreaming of becoming a cyborg. She can be found on Twitter @KestrelUnicorn.
Current Issue
25 Mar 2024

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