Commentary and Philosophy Poetry posted June 24, 2023 Chapters:  ...23 24 -25- 26... 


Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted
How the machine edits what we perceive.

A chapter in the book Artificial Intelligence

Living in the Machine, part III

by estory

Here, inside the machine,
I hear whisperings of pandemics,
Coupe D'Etates, war, social unrest.
 
I hear whisperings of social injustice,
Hyperinflation, interest rate hikes.
I hear the market is falling.
My money is disappearing.
 
I hear whisperings of recommendations
To buy gold, to buy bonds, to buy bitcoin,
To invest in government backed securities.
 
I hear them talking about Federal Reserve Policy meetings,
Gross domestic product forcasts,
Trade imbalances, productivity cuts,
Automation, job losses, debt limits,
The consumer price index.
 
I hear them warning of changing investor sentiment.
A coming bear market.
 
Here, inside the machine,
The phone keeps ringing
And ringing, and on the line
The voices keep going on and on
 
About needing my social security number,
My name, address and phone number,
A debit account, a gift card,
A kited check,
A wire transfer.
 
Here, inside the machine,
The politically correct
Ride at the head of parades,
Speak at commencements 
And block parties,
Awards ceremonies.
 
Here, inside the machine,
There are no gods
Except the social media monitors.

Write A Review



I wanted to keep a mechanical rhythm to underscore my theme here, my subject matter. I wanted a feeling of the narrator being isolated, and totally in the grip of 'the machine.' And I wanted to keep the identity of that machine ambiguous, which, in many ways, it really is to us in the world today. There is an eeriness to living with all this technology. estory
Pays one point and 2 member cents.


Save to Bookcase Promote This Share or Bookmark
Print It Print It View Reviews

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.


© Copyright 2024. estory All rights reserved.
estory has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.