"Malfunction" by Ben Read

I wonder

what a valentine

is.  This humanoid

gave me it on

February 14.

It was 3:47 PM

58 seconds.

My hand turned

cold

when she gave it to me.

I thought

I was malfunctioning.

I couldn't compute

that chill.

"Seeing Red" by Ben Read

I'm seeing red.  The world is a spinning mass around me.  I don't know why, but what sticks out above all the red is the blood.  My hair is wet with it.  My brother's eyes.  All their eyes.  I wish I could say this was done by some monster, but that would be a lie.  Humans are despicable beings.  The muddled mess that is my thoughts finally clears and I shake my brother.  He doesn't move.  I look around.  I'm in my bedroom, surrounded by the dead bodies of my family.  You think that's grim?  Well, life's grim.  I remember the day I painted this room red with my family.  I run to the walls and try to claw the paint off to no avail.  But in all that red, the one thing that keeps me rooted is the blue stone in the necklace my brother gave me.  And suddenly I realize it is being pressed against my hand.  I turn to look into my brother's eyes. awake as ever, alive as ever, now blue again.

"Not to Blue" by Katie Huested

When I look at the red rose I

think about the love that was shared,

When I look at the red picture

I think of the pain that you caused

But most of all when I look

all around I think about all

the intense moments we had

whether happy or sad and how

we have made it through this

red room without feeling blue.

"What's That?" by Katie Huested

What is a heart?  It is my brain

that hurts all thoughts things you

wrote what does it mean? LOVE,

Love you said that a lot, I love

you were the words. but I have

nothing to say back actually to

be totally honest you scare me

and I hope you know I don't

care that you're probably crying right

now because I don't feel any

thing you're a very interesting thing I'm

not sure what yet but I guess 

besides you freaking me out a little

you're...alright in my book.

Triangle [instead of a heart] --Robot

"Love in a Genius Town" by Haley Ryan

"Why is this whole room red?" I ask the robot named Bob.  I only call him Bob though because his technical name sounds something like "Beepbeepbloopblod."  So he is Bob.
"I don't know miss," he replied.  "Perhaps I should call a painter robot."
"No, I'll just try out my new program," I say.  "Room: green."
Everything in the room, myself included, turns a gross barf color.
"Maybe I have to be more specific," I say.  "Okay, um, walls neon green," and the walls go back to red.  Now I'm mad, this room was supposed to be like a smart phone, only for a whole room.  "Great.  Now I'm bright red.  Bob, try to fix the room, please.  I'm going to go see Will.  Maybe he can help."
"Will do, Miss."
"Great."
I head out the door and go to see Will in his lab.  He probably can't fix my room, but I go anyway.
"Oh, hey, Alice."
I jump.  "Oh, it's you, Will.  Sorry, I was off in my own little world."
"Oh, no problem."  He looks at me and I start to get butterflies like I always do when I look into his eyes.
"Can I ask you a question?" Will asks.
"Sure," I reply.
"Alice, will you go out with me?" he asks.
And that's how I found love in a town of genius teenagers.

"Emotionless" by Haley Ryan

I don't know how to love

I am emotionless

I'm sorry to break your heart but

I am emotionless

Why did someone program me to be

emotionless

I'm so sorry but I am stuck being

emotionless

Someone programmed me to be suspicious of love so

I'm emotionless

I don't believe love exists because

I'm emotionless

People fall in love but I'm a robot

I'm emotionless

No one ever stays "in love" forever

So maybe it's for the better that

I'm emotionless

"She Is" by Kiersten Moss

He hit the wall with his fist, watching the crimson

ripple from the impact.  Why does she do this? he wonders.

He knows she likes him.

He knows she loves him.

And he sees her with all the other men.

He knows because he can read her.

She is an open book to him.

She is no blank page.

He sees red.

All the other men, they don't know her.

She is not just a pretty face.

"The Red Room" by Alicia Judd

I've been trapped in here for days now.  Mom says I need to cool my hot-headedness.  So she brought me here.  The red room.  Doesn't she know I hate red?  All the food is red.  Apples, cherries, strawberries.  Even strawberry lemonade.  The bed.  Red.  Even the windows are tinted red.  The extra clothes I was given are red.  Even as I think about it, I can feel the anger bubbling up inside of me.  I threw my red apple at the red window.  I was about to run, when I heard the glass shattering.  An idea popped up in my head.  I knew it was risky, but I went with it.  I used another apple to get rid of any remaining glass.  It looked like a pin cushion.  Carefully, I hauled myself out the window.  Just then, there was a knock on the red door.  I froze, then dropped out of sight.  I realized all my anger had been spent.  I glanced at a busy road and wondered how I would get home.  As it turns out, my mom was coming to get me.  I hopped into the white car.  Thank goodness that was over.

"Robotic Love" by Alicia Judd

You love me, but do I love you?

I love you

I love you not

I love you

I love you not

I love you

I'm out of petals

and though I don't know you

I guess I love you, too.

"All Red" by Reyna Flores

Artist: Mark Rothko

It was all red.  I stood in a red room eating red carrots and red celery.  Drinking red juice and thinking red thoughts.  Nothing mattered.  I hated the world and especially myself.  Anger possessed my mind, body and soul.  At first, when they locked me in here, I screamed and cried for hours on end, but now I am tired and defeated.  The only thing that keeps me going is the fire that is unquenchable inside me.  Just as I was about to lose hope of ever putting out that fire, the painter arrived and painted everything blue.

"Untitled" by Reyna Flores

What is this piece of

Paper

Shaped like a heart?

I do not understand what it is used for.

It expresses

A love for me in words that are written on it.

"Why?" I ask myself.

"Why does this person love me?"  I do not

Understand love.

So I will

Write a letter back that says I don't know how to

Love at all.

And I'm not sorry.

I do not have feelings.