AI for tomorrow, here today,
Some say AI is not real,
‘Tho it certainly has a say,
Witty and quick is part of the appeal.
Might a robot give poetic art,
Sort of human, but not quite?
It gives me an eerie start,
A poem following is a sight.
This may be the new evolution,
But does it have a mind or soul?
The poetic bot’s a revolution,
Aimless rimes or an aesthetic goal?
There needs a beauty of 1000 years,
Objective beyond the uncanny valley.*
Empathy that draws smiles and tears,
Truth that stands beyond this rally.
*Watch, Kathleen. “The Creepy Problem Killing AI Projects.” Forbes, Sept. 17, 2022.
Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.