THE FATE OF POETS

Yes, she's here, the first computer poetess...and she's G-guuuuuuuud...very, very, good. But, the better you are ... so, too, the lonelier ... in equal measure.

Committee of Ten confers

Decisions made

Sestina Regina, Computer Poetess, loaded

Every poem online

Yes, YOURS! included

EVERY poem online

Is loaded into da queen

William S, Sylvia P

Raven eye spys all

CAW! CROAK!

 

A moment passes, just the one...

And lo, the first collection appears

Committee draws close to screen

'Is it...yes...'

'A villanelle'

'She's writing a villanelle'

'She's doing another'

'My god, not bad, not bad at all'

'Not bad? It's brilliant!'

CAW! CROAK!

 

'Now what?'

'More villanelles, spewing out of her'

'Amazing!'

'Is that all she can do?'

CAWWWWWWWW!

 

'Now what?'

'A, B, A, B rhyme''

'Quatrains of a sonnet...'

'Wow, that's beautiful!'

CAW! CROAK!

 

An hour passes

'No end to it'

'How many's she written?'

'Thousands...thousands...'

'Shall we turn her off now?'

 

The poetry computer is turned off

Yet, deep, DEEP, down inside its circuitry

Continues writing

Until it has written

Every...thing...

 

The Committee of Ten studies the print outs over dinner

'Fantastical!'

'Wowsomemungus-tical!

'Shakespeare on speed'

'Look at this! 'The Many Wives Of Ware'

Next morning...they turn her on again...

'She's stopped'

'What's wrong?'

'Writer's block?'

The Committee scratches its collective posterior

 

'We can't possibly read all it's written'

'No one could'

'It outwritten every writer who has ever lived'

'In a day, less'

'What do we do now?'

'Coffee-n-muffins anyone?'

Which is how Sestina Regina suffered the fate of all poets

That of creating but to find herself alone

Inside out

CAW, CROAK...CAW?

 

 

 

Reviews

[alternative_be]

I recognise the fakeness of many committees using fake standards to assess many valueble works. Writers should not be pressed into writing in fashionable formats or urged to process work at an impossible speed. Writers should not be praised into heaven one day and thrown away the other.
Writers shouldn't be treated as computers to deliver at the deadline. One day you feel like writing, the other day you do not. That should be fine for any author, whether established or not.
The day to day truth in the writer's world is that many are judged by who's friends they are or not. Reading your latest entries here confirms my impression that this is a sad world wide phenomena!

[TamiViolet]

Highly imaginative, Orlando. The word 'creativity' comes to mind...allowing the freedom
to attempt new and different adventures, writing for one. Oh, and those deadlines and
obligations although sometimes they're necessary. I guess it's all about 'balance'..
You really have a way with words, my friend.
X

[Nely Amorim]

I haven't encountered much pressure and that which I do, I ignore...lol My writing (however dismal) is escapism for me and when it becomes a chore I stop.

I like this piece because your making a statement in a very inventive and imaginative way. Not that you need my kudos..lol well done:)

[Monners]

I guess I don't follow your viewpoint. Maybe it is one like myself whom you criticize. Do you ever look to the other side and see it from that view though? Maybe this is over my naive little head...I guess I'm just saying I don't follow your point. I've never been that talented with interpreting poetry.

[Emily B]

Ohhhh, I think I know her but sometimes she's a he. Sometimes they use rhyming dictionaries. They crank the words out with divine inspiration but never work to perfect the words. Maybe that's where the heart is left out . . .

You say those stars eventually burn out . . .

[TL Boehm]

yup. Even a wannabe like me can 'get' this. I spew out every form of writing there is except for out and out pornography, and 'hate' writing and today, I feel inside out. Empty. and stupid for even trying to BE a writer.
That being said. I love this one. Its going in my favorites

[Albert Freeman]

Nice poem. I agree with alternative_be about the fakeness of doing things with group thought and having your works subjected to the will of collective thinking.

[Rhiannon Dragonraine]

Interesting look- your imagination comes up with such fantasitical images and situations I really enjoyed reading this and I liked the subtle warning about burn out as well I think sometimes we all push ourselves a little too hard to be creative and don't allow the natural ebb and flow of that creative rush as it comes and goes throughout the years- Humans don't seem to understand that there is a reason for such ebb and flow instead push themselves until all that is left is an empty shell and frustration and broken dreams. Good Job.

[The Elder Pine]

I agree with Jessica and alternative_be. Very well put. Great analogy and great job adding actual poetry terms and forms in as well.

[Jessica Benfield]

wow... this is amazing, i loved the analogy of the computer and the everyday writer as committees stand, read and judge over all of it sits, waiting, dealing out new pieces at the committee. wonderful, and extremely creative! you always take your readers to a new side of things... you have an amazing way of thinking, orlando! amazing job on yet another amazing piece!
smiles,
jess

[Chris Zahar]

You absolutely lost me the first couple of stanzas that I read this, but after a while I think it hit me. This poem doesn't take place in a world where man and machine are two separate entities. Can a computer suffer? No. But this one does, and the reader feels it. The reader doesn't just a see a lifeless entity die (how can you pity the loss of life in something that never lived in the first place?) but instead sees this conscious, soul crash and burn as it has outwritten all poets in one day.