LOOK WHAT'S TALKING

Look what’s talking at our house.
So many things that never say a word
When you see them in other people’s houses.

The clock radio tells you about its alarms,
Which ones are set and exactly how early.
And just what time it is right now
But only when you ask it.

The message machine tells you what the day is
And what the time is
And how many people left you a message.
It loudly announces the secret code you’d use
To pick up the messages.

The thermostat tells you what the time is,
And what the temperature is
And whether or not it thinks it’s a weekend
And what the temperature ought to be at the time it thinks it is today.

The laptop tells you the battery needs charging
And does its best to read the screen
Including the newspaper and books on the web
Despite the fact that things keep changing
Making the screen much harder to read by talking.

And then there’s the Trekker that reads the skies
And tells you the name of the street you are on
And also the name of the street you are crossing,
Even if that street has no name.
It says which direction it thinks you are going
And what points of interest relevant or irrelevant
Might be lurking nearby.

The big computer talks like the laptop
But it also reads books out loud on the scanner
And even tries to read Braille out loud,
Configurations of Braille dots once they are assembled
For printing on the Braille printer.

Pirate talks. He says a lot
With panting, growling, woofing, whining.
The people at our house talk as well
Though what they will say is sometimes surprising.
And sometimes, they say, they just get tired
Of shouting to be heard over all the noise.