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Issue 10 (Spring 2026)

Here for all your psycho-social needs
BurdenBot's new and improved
neo-steel body holds up
against your heaviest confessions;
never crushed by the heart-crushing,
with adamantine-infused mechanical joints
ready to carry your emotional baggage.

Never rusts
never worn down by you,
our scientists have built your BurdenBot
from the lightest metals known to humanity;
you'll never feel like you're weighing anyone down.

BurdenBot's latest version includes
the CaresN'Comforts program pack
featuring the latest telepathic technologies;
when your BurdenBot says
"It will be okay"
BurdenBot's emitted frequencies align
with your brainwaves (so you really believe it)!

Comes with premium self-warming arms
for hug replication,
facial scanner
to predict incoming tears,
and easy-to-personalize dialogue options
to take all the burden
out of human vulnerability.

 

Sam Lesek's writing has appeared in various spaces, including Solarpunk Magazine, PseudoPod, and Utopia Science Fiction. She prefers human confidants to robot ones. Find her on Bluesky @samlesek.bsky.social
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