I think I'm human. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm human. As far as I know, anyway.
Being human is looking at the potential of something, right?
Seeing beauty in imperfection?
Feeling emotion?
Because that's what I do.

Can robots look at a sheet of lined paper and envision
a child's letter to Santa?
a reassuring note left for a lover in the morning?
an absent doodle in the margin of calculus notes?
I can.

Do robots see
the beauty of the spring's flowers after a hard winter?
the joy in a lopsided smile?
the hesitation before the first "I love you"?
That's what I see.

I don't think robots can feel
the sorrow of a broken heart.
the humiliation of rejection.
the pure happiness in an infant's laugh.
I feel that.

That's why I believe I'm human.
Unless I've completely misinterpreted the meaning of life,
in which case, call me a robot,
because being a robot
doesn't sound all that bad.

--Alis