Cyber Poems Poem by Theresa Haffner

POEM WITH STRING

and so i said take this program of
artificial intelligence insurgency
take this parliament of one
take this un-installable database and
delete it from your memory
cleanse your files
download it to a different site
and encrypt it with antivirus software
encode its corrupted commands
purge your megabytes
with hidden strings of BASIC interface
in a cyber language you no longer understand
ABORT FAIL and RETRY
BAD COMMANDS
INVALID PASSWORD
you are in calculator mode
as text editor no longer supports your
file name extensions
your application won't open
in this window
nothing can save your work
to disk if you don't save it now
in the event of a system failure
the resultant crash will be
0 files 0 folders 0 megabytes
close these windows
internet webpage details
properties in web space
information can't be hyper text markup
link to meta-language
alphanumeric ascii
x-files and ladies' chat rooms
eyes bleary at dawn
bloodshot after searching the web
since midnight
your hard drive seizes
your problem device freezes
your system hangs as your irretrievable
document is unprotected


MOUSE TALES

do not sit so close to the monitor
watch out for that mouse
miss modem regrets she's unable
to plead guilty to spousal abuse
espoused to a mouse
all is madness
what you're married to a computer



LOTUS

word star incompatible
incomprehensible
data spreadsheets named after flowers
all absolutely obsolete
going out by email
this one reminds me of you
unprocessed microprocessors
disastrous database
transmitted over telephone lines
intercept the intermittent
irregular electromagnetic signals
interrupt the silent hours of
darkness after 9 pm


VERSION CONFLICT

we need a new computer
hidden mouse tales
realign our print head alibi to the
daisy wheel mentality
urban distance colder than
the arctic snows on main street
printer won't print
scanner can't scan
i can't troubleshoot my
entire life alone
without technical support
probable cause
in the dent of the dangerous
was loneliness