Member-only story
Art Versus
free verse letter to AI
dear robot,
i come from a mother and father
fake that, artificial intelligence
try swishing your fingers through
alfalfa wisps
try, on your back, to name
stars
— not their real names and constellations —
know what it’s like to allow
sand in your bathing suit
to give every shell a backstory
before it’s returned to the sea
my words are not yours
can you taste the memory
of the stairwell to my grandma’s
basement
can you, yet, opensource my
collections
tell me, what do I cherish
on the second shelf
of my moon-shaped altar
and which witch do i worship
in november
does your metallic heart
contract upon hearing rage
does your memorizing brain
wake from the same hotel scene
but this dream has competition
etched on its edges
the feeling of being upstaged
the folklore of family
the childhood that slips
a…
