Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Poetry of Bettina Bair

Rules Are Made to Be Broken
(a seven line, seven beat poem about how light works)

Light can't be felt or tasted.
Strangely unremarkable --
Unless absent or broken.
Thus, all the colors in light,
Stay invisible to us,
Until they are split apart.
Light confusion is color.


It’s Just All about the Rules
a pantoum

"It's just all about the rules",
My computing teacher said.
"The computer is a fool.
It can't read what's in your head"

My computing teacher said,
"Without imagination,
It can't read what's in your head --
Just coded operations."

"Without imagination,
Computers cannot do art.
Just coded operations
Moving bits around its heart."

"Computers cannot do art,
But for a skilled artist's hand,
Moving bits around its heart,
Elegance can be programmed."

"But for a skilled artist's hand,
The computer is a fool.
Elegance can be programmed.
It's just all about the rules."

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