This ongoing series holds human writing up against AI writing. First, a human crafts a short poem or prose piece. Then we craft an prompt that challenges AI to create something similar. (We use ChatGPT logged out and incognito to avoid the mirroring and its infamous tell-you-what-you-want-to-hear MO.)
Did a human or AI write Exhibit A, or Exhibit B? Find "the big reveal" at the bottom of this page.
The prompt
Exhibit A: To be with me
I don’t want an Oura ring—
I want a mood ring.
I want to believe in magic—
and understand my body
without figures
in the digisphere
a monthly subscription
telling me what to do
charging my credit card $19.99
while my eyes—
burn from
staring
scrolling
scanning
screen
screen
screen
I want a mood ring
to go ooh look
purple
green
What does it mean?
I want to feel around
in my gut
Want to be bored
want my chest to burn
my stomach to turn
to be with—
me
long enough
quiet enough
present enough
to know what’s there
so
when gurus advertisers talking heads persuaders
—the noise
gets loud—
loud louder
I’m all roots
No sway
anchored
inward
knowing
not a thing
knowing—
Everything
Exhibit B: To be with me
I don't want an oura ring—
I want a mood ring.
I want the cheap magic of color,
the lie that tells the truth faster.
I want my wrist to confess
before my mouth makes excuses.
To be with me is to read weather,
to pack a jacket for joy,
sunscreen for grief.
It's learning the grammar of pauses,
the commas where I breathe,
the periods I forget to place.
Some days I'm neon, some days smoke.
Some days I'm a song stuck buffering.
Love me like a calibration,
not a verdict.
Hold me when I'm green,
give me space when I'm blue,
ask me nothing when I'm clear.
I promise: I'll show up.
Not perfect, not measured,
but present,
and warm enough to change color.
The reveal (scroll down)
A: human (granted, not exactly a poet)
B: AI (absolutely not a poet)
Want your writing featured in this series? Please send over a 130-word poem or prose piece to info@wordnerds.net, including your name for writer credit.
