Ode to Spot

"Ode to Spot" was an ode composed by Data in 2369, addressed to his pet cat, Spot. ()
:Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
:An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature;
:Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
:Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.
:I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
:A singular development of cat communications
:That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
:For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.
:A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
:You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
:And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion,
:It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
:O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
:Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
:And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
:I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.
Later that same year, the content of the poem replaced some files on the 's main computer when Data's personal files were accidentally uploaded to the computer during an experimental interface between it and his neural net. One of the files replaced was the text of the play Something for Breakfast. A progressive memory purge eventually corrected the problem. ()
de:Ode an Spot
it:Ode per Spot
Category:Literature