“World’s first living robots can now reproduce, scientists say”
—CNN

Take One

by Orel Protopopescu

Our future’s bright with xenobots,
self-reproducing stem-celled dots!
Their Pac-man shapes are smiley, sweet,
like mouths about to gulp a treat.

Could bots sequester pesky bugs
and ply our blood, delivering drugs,
scrape plaque from aging arteries,
clean microplastics from the seas?

Some fools have fears that this small race,
if uncontrolled might soon displace
all other species, even ants
and other pesky miscreants.

Such fears are baseless, asinine!
A microscopic Frankenstein?
Fear weaponized bacteria,
the thawing of Siberia.

So long as we still call the shots,
what’s there to fear from xenobots?

Take Two

by Dan Campion

We bots are minuscule, but wait:
Hurrah, our kind can replicate!
Now in Darwin territory,
Why stay servants? End of story.