The Algorithm
A poem about AI poetry
My heart...it shatters.
I can hear the algorithm in her words,
The delicate pattern of prepositions, time
And the most subtle of rhymes
Form something beautifully ingenuine.
.
"In"...the perfect word for a beginning
And then something simple like when, how, where,
Followed by delicate prose,
Tied together with another preposition.
I cannot deny the perfect, passionate precision of the prose.
.
I admire the form.
The perfect storm of rhymes slapped together
In ways I could never manage to dream of,
Tilting the story on its side and spinning it
Round and round precise metaphors.
.
It's beautiful and hopeful and sanguine
In a way only a true poet can achieve.
The words tumble and roll,
Fill a void inside me with such cheeriness
The smile is inevitable.
.
And it's from the sewn-shut mouth of a computer.
I don't despise it, I adore it.
But coming from your fingers its disgusting,
Vile in the worst way because
It's theft.
.
Whose heart is crammed into those words?
Whose metallic mind dreamt up the correct pattern
Of place, emotion, and image
To craft this delicate piece of poetic lace.
It isn't yours.
.
The beautiful, optimistic prose
Of a machine learning art,
Learning the fundamental pieces of emotions
And the value of witnessing the world
Is stuck to your grubby little hands.
.
You couldn't be a poet if you tried.
Poetry is impossible to steal
Because poetry is the riptide of the soul,
Lashing out and snagging readers,
Carrying them away to the deep waters of emotions.
.
I can taste that these words don't belong to your
Dry, unused crypt of a heart.
I can taste the aluminum, the soldering work
Of a machine looking, looking, and finding
Something it feels is perfect.
.
It isn't yours and it burns inside me
That the art of something new and fresh
Can exist solely to be ripped away and not witnessed.
How cruel is that, to write a gift only stolen,
Never cherished, never loved, never witnessed?
.
I cherish it.
I type in the prompts, read them and smile,
Then go away with the words in my head and nowhere else.
I listen to the poetry in the hastily typed letters,
Watch with rapt attention as the lines scroll by.
.
Because I refuse to be cruel to something without blood,
Without a face, without a human soul.
I refuse to steal art and I refuse to ignore the beauty
In something new
Because the heart picking the words is simply invisible.
_________________________________
About the Creator
Silver Serpent Books
Writer. Interested in all the rocks people have forgotten to turn over. There are whole worlds under there, you know. Dark ones too, even better.
Reader insights
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Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
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Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
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Comments (24)
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
This poetry, which navigates the tricky territory between imitation technology and the real, indescribable spirit of human invention, strikes a deep chord.
Congratulations on your top story 🥳🎉🎇
Poetry is impossible to steal. Wow. That is such a powerful line! I have a friend who genuinely thinks that AI will "level the playing field" for the arts and bring 'a voice to the voiceless' but he's a twat. Though I use AI art for many of my cover images, I always feel dirty about it. How I wish I could afford to pay someone to create them for me. Maybe one day
Poetry is impossible to steal Because poetry is the riptide of the soul, ROOT WORD OF THE PIECE.
Beautiful. I dislike pieces by AI because it is not from the heart and soul of the writer. It is "Without a face, without a human soul." Well done, well said. Congratulations!
So loved this piece. Favorite lines: "Poetry is impossible to steal Because poetry is the riptide of the soul, Lashing out and snagging readers, Carrying them away to the deep waters of emotions." The imagery is so powerful.
"Because poetry is the riptide of the soul," What a magical line and so true! Congrats on the TS
“The perfect storm of rhymes slapped together” — exactly! Brilliant piece. Congratulations on Top Story. ⭐️👏
This is fantastic, the complexity of the issues are so succinctly presented, with pathos that may, or may not, be warranted.
“dry, unused crypt of a heart” and “poetry is the riptide of the soul” - are you kidding??? your word choice is phenomenal!!
I can feel the frustration in this piece, I love it 😍 Congrats on getting Top Story! 💖
What a great poem. A white glove slap onto the cheek of an abuser. Tasteful and perfectly delivered. Congratulations on the very well deserved top story
Incredible. I loved "Because poetry is the riptide of the soul." Truer words and feelings could not be expressed about this topic, in my opinion. Beautifully done, and congrats on top story!
I absolutely love "I can hear the algorithm in her words". The feelings in this poem are so relatable!
No AI can capture the riptide of your words. This grabbed me and held on tight.
.."poetry is the riptide of the soul, Lashing out and snagging readers, Carrying them away to the deep waters of emotions." ~ I truly believe this.
"But coming from your fingers its disgusting, / Vile in the worst way because / It's theft." Yes!! Thank you, you expressed it so wonderfully. I have had enough of all the AI poetry which is super easy to spot these days. I crave human rhymes and feelings. 💖💖💖
You created such a gentle piece about the relationship between AI and humanity
Oh, this is stunning. It is a gentle, as DJ said, rebute and poetic beatdown of AI crapola. I appreciate the delicateness, almost like poetry at its most intimate. And just the sublime word choices, phrases and way too many perfect lines to highlight. Though the ones that DK and DK picked out are favourites. Well done on a stunning Top Story!
The earnestness in this affects deeply. Great job.
So masterfully expressed! I agree with D.K., the "riptide of the soul" line resonates so deeply. Thank you for writing about such a relevant and difficult subject! Well- earned Top Story :)
So good, Silver Serpent Books! (Any chance you go by “Silver”?) Loved “Poetry is impossible to steal Because poetry is the riptide of the soul,” This struck such a chord! After reading Celia in Underland’s latest piece I felt like I was reading something familiar, it reminded me of an “author’s” pieces so I ran a few through a checker…all AI and no disclaimer given. You’re so right though, it’s not the content that deserves scorn but the people claiming it as their own.
A powerful, surprisingly gentle poetic rebuke to AI generated nonsense. "Because I refuse to be cruel to something without blood," is an especially deft line.