I’ve been writing the Monday Poetry Prompts for Living Poetry for a couple of months. The prompt from this morning was randomly derived by dice and a thesaurus. That’s how I came to write an “analytical” poem. I’d been challenged before to write a poem about computer programming before so I’ve been thinking about it but hadn’t actually set pen to paper nor fingers to keys until now. Hope you like it.

Analytical Poem

Plastic coins about the size
of a silver dollar only thicker;
Thick enough to read words
engraved on the edge;

Stacks of coins
in metallic boxes;
Boxes with labels
precisely etched;

Bold arrows float
pointing from box to box
sometimes looping
like a snake
eating his tail;

That’s what I see
all in black and white;
Then the coins pop
from stack to stack
and fly from box to box;
Their motion glows
gently colorless
and the arrows quiver
with delight;

I see these imaginary objects
with my waking eyes;
Observe their behavior;
Manipulate them with thought;
Make them dance to my tune;

I build machines just as real
as any loom or engine
which solve real problems
make lives easier
businesses more profitable
yet these programs
are less substantial
than a spiderweb;