Powerless Machine

by Michael Centrone

     Powerless Machine is the second poetry collection by Michael Centrone. Through his incomparable lyrical prose and streams of consciousness, Centrone gives a first-person perspective of a living creature that’s been rendered powerless by modern cultures that arbitrarily suppress its primal urges into existential oblivion.


    Achieving a sense of autonomy is paramount in a powerless machine’s life—a redundant goal for an already-autonomous being. Its awakening lies in reverse-engineering its powerlessness and overcoming it. 


    Homo sapiens have pulled the ultimate trick on themselves through unnatural and impractical power constructs, convincing themselves they lack the autonomy and freedom they innately possess. Here lies the most damning unintended consequence of the Agricultural Revolution. Since then, humans have gradually assumed the role of the machine, performing monotonous tasks in order to be rewarded with necessities. What’s left is a species, whose biological makeup is hardwired for an organic, egalitarian hunter/gatherer culture, malfunctioning and maladapting to spiritless survival methodologies.

“If I could choose

a superpower to possess,

it would be

autonomy—”

-The Amazing Reminder-Man

101 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2022

About the author

Through his writing, author Michael Centrone intimately expresses conflicts internal and external for both the individual and the world at large. He takes a critical look at himself, the cultures surrounding us, the ins and outs of daily life, and the societal expectations that can weigh on a person.

Along his creative journey, he's dabbled in multiple art forms including vocals/lyrics (heavy metal, death metal, rock), literature (author of poetry, journalism, short stories, blogs), and comedy (stand-up, sketch). The Queens, New York native has performed in many parts of the world to live audiences and has humbly influenced other artists as well.