Dead Son

 

Dead Son

“Love and work … work and love … that's all there is.” Sigmund Freud

for Dalton Anthony Jones

“Les parasites évoluant au front d'invasion permettent une plus grande dispersion de leur hôte, mais sont aussi - virulents et - transmissibles que ceux au cœur de l'aire de répartition.” L'ecologie au CNRS @INEE_CNRS 4/26/2021	… disease is a blessing … consciousness is a disease … disease puts everything else into perspective ...	… malignant … metastasis … tumor … scan … soft like a baby's skin … palpate … liver … cancer is nothing to fear … survivor … nihilism is a blessing ...
… poem deleted ...	… it's OK to be ignorant; but, it's not OK to make a mistake … Japanese Proverb	“Objection, evasion, joyous distrust, and love of irony are signs of health; everything absolute belongs to pathology.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
“It’s Not Just About Bad Apples It Runs Much Deeper Than That, it’s about poisoned roots and soils filled with the blood and bones of black bodies - that these policing trees grow from. It’s about racist policies meant to brutalize, dehumanize & some might even say, it’s genocide.” @EjinAction 4/28/2021	… all … know … the way …	“Four Seasons Total Landscaping, where Rudy Giuliani held a press conference in November instead of the Four Seasons Hotel, pokes fun at the former Trump lawyer following news that the FBI raided his Manhattan apartment .” Trending on ®Twitter 4/28/2021 8:18 p.m.
… death … is banal … sorry you never figured it out ...	… memory … feeling … pain … anger … loss … kill … self … yellow … ghetto … drugs … self … ghetto … poor … lose … everything … guilt … shame … kill … self … Rashoman … love … rush ... Golden Arm ... forever … and … forever … amen … hate … missing … in … action … dispositive … Le Bernardin … Brooklyn … Nomad … trust … Moby Dick … power … impotence … tears … never … forever … see … you … later … alligator … Reptile … Vertebrate … Chordate … fix … jones-ing … Panopticon … Chiroptera … lagrangian … “Strawberry Fields Forever” … bye … bye … love … bye … bye … happiness … cry … last … breath … so … long … it's … been … good to … know you ...	… everybody has a story … Hindu Proverb
… Death begets Beauty … “'Sunday Morning' is a poem from Wallace Stevens' first book of poetry, Harmonium. Published in part in the November 1915 issue of Poetry, then in full in 1923 in Harmonium, it is now in the public domain.” Wikipedia accessed 4/28/2020 8:32 p.m.	… Scarlet Macaw … Amazon River … Panama Canal … Arenal … La Pacifica … Lifer … child … unknown … mystery … bedtime … oh, say! can you see? ...	“Whenever I die, please don't allow my image to be co-opted by the power establishment. Don't let my name & likeness be used to argue for peace in the absence of justice. I believe uncompromisingly in the liberation of the black, poor and oppressed from systems of white supremacy.” @breenewsome 3/26/2018
… you were the brightest of all bright men ...	Slave allegories are heteronormative, but Judith Butler holds Sex a construction, like Race, destined to psychological and physical entrapment, preventing the New Order from unspooling, blocking the emergence of The Revolution and a dream fulfilled—a Post-modern Utopia of Fracture rather than Order; of Disruption rather than Conformity; of Relativity rather than Grand Narrative; and, of Collective rather than Hierarchy.	… the Summer's flower … is … to … the Summer sweet … but … to itself it only … live … or … die … W … Shakespeare ...
… BioGeoChemistry … every material statement has a mathematical proof ...	“From caregivers to lives more at risk of infection through socioeconomic consequences of structural racism and underpayment, how might kinships ‘wear out’ together and apart, how might artworks play a part in redefining the public sphere or enable us to consider the interrelations of equity and collective care.” Paul Mellon Centre, Yale University	… no lullabies … no birthdays … no holidays … no research … no books … no regrets … no beginnings … no nadirs … no cheesecakes … no power … no decision … no choice … no motive … no feeling … no cortex … only limbic … all systems have nodes … all nodes have branches … all Biology reduces to Heat ...

C19 (Grid Poem by Clara B. Jones)

C19*

for Gertrude Stein

Alicia Garza said America is Post-racial since no Blacks are at the table. Her greatest regret in life is not learning Game Theory during her Fulbright year.	Another case that is probably best interpreted as a handicap is the phenomenon of musth in men: the classic account was published by Rodriguez-Luna (2001). Males are sexually active for only part of the year. When active, they move from group to group seeking ovulating females. For part of the period of sexual activity, a male is in musth, a state of aggressiveness that is signaled by secretions from the temporal gland, dribbling of urine, and by vocalization and posture; the circulating testosterone level is raised by a factor of approximately 50.	La Toya wants to know what she owes to French Culture. Concerned about appropriation, she no longer eats snails.
“He's a humble little man, with a lot to be humble about.” Winston Churchill	Pope.L, AKO Beethovenstraat 42, 1077 JJ Amsterdam The Netherlands. AKO Reguliersbreestraat 19 1017	rb – c >0 (Hamilton, 1964)
Because an eigenvalue is a variance, the same value applies with appropriate changes in notation. The eigenvalues are then the variances of the originally measured variables. Rotation of the axes leaves the eigenvalues unchanged, so the tests are, also, unchanged and still apply.	And, what do they know of England who only England know?” Rudyard Kipling	During what became known as, 'The Berlin Airlift,' a total of 2,326, 406 tons (tonnes) of supplies were flown into Berlin over an 18-month period to break a Soviet blockade of the city.
Cybersecurity shouldn't be overlooked during COVID-19 response, says 'Toya Johnson.	The fact that people's decisions shift with the point of reference is evidence that decisions are made, not on the basis of the absolute values of the alternatives, but on their values relative to some point of reference provided by the frame.	Vintner, Ray Walker, of Bordeaux, was held at gunpoint by his wife after an alledged affair with May-Dianne Andrade.
Like other religions, Budddhism has its share of myths and legends. A 'myth' in this context does not mean something that is false: rather, myths are stories which have a compelling force by virtue of their ability to work simultaneously on several levels. They have a narrative content but, also—like a parable—a metaphorical one which can be understood and interpreted in many ways.	“Execution beats talent.” Kevin Durant	Many experimental poems do not fit in with the internal logic of grammar and syntax. Instead, they interact with readers, not through referential and representational content, but rather through a vocabulary based on erasure.
Decades of devotion to his craft, and a mid-career chance encounter with David Zwirner director Jonathan Laib, helped further Martin King's legacy as one of the greatest American sculptors.	Genetic background must be controlled for comparisons between treatments.	Jamal Johnson raised Series B funding for 'AI robotics' for unassisted autonomous manipulation.
Official Name: Federal Republic of Germany Date of Formation: 1871 Capital: Berlin Religions: Non-religious 36%...Other 4%	Before Coronavirus, Nayib Bukele wrote a book about the role of Art in crisis.	Variation of cotton rat craniofacial shape in palatal view. Landmark configurations of individuals within an age class are superimposed using the Procrustes generalized least squares (GLS) superimposition.

*Partially found

"Dinosaurs" [Poem by Clara B. Jones in print magazine, The Transnational (De)]

Dinosaurs*

for Francesca Woodman (1958-1981)

It is The Age of Robots. Like the dinosaurs before us,

we are dominating the planet.

We process bits with great speed, like cheetahs speeding

across Botswana savannas dodging acacias as they chase prey.

We are the strongest among the strong, steely

and unencumbered by flesh bound to tear

or brains too distracted to focus.

We are smarter than any genius, prepared on short notice

to fight on the front line of progress.

The 22^nd Century is now.

We never get bored.

We will clear a forest or fly a plane without complaint.

We need minimal upkeep.

We never call in sick or bargain for a raise in pay.

Though our sensors are as responsive as whiskers,

love is not a part of our repertoire—never interfering

with a goal at hand.
We never forget.

We always recall.

We are a new race in a world destined to fear our kind.

*Published Winter 2020 in The Transnational: A Literary Magazine, Vol. 7, Rene Kanzler, Ed. [De]

[[Self-portrait Sonnet (Poem by Clara B. Jones)

[[Self-portrait Sonnet*

1. We could populate Mars, but Earth is a scalable platform.

2. Intersectionality is outdated since AI is the next big thing.

3a. I make ugly art beautiful.

3b. Are you a Gynobot?

3c. No, I am a technophobe.

4a. Istanbul Fashion Week was held in Newark.

4b. My book was released in June but didn't sell.

5. It's impossible to learn to cook by reading poetry.

6. I am free to make art, but no-one will care.

7. I exist on the margins, seeking a way out.

8. I have a quick mind but am slow on my feet.

9. I understand what he is saying, but what does he want?

10a. Do you think the play will be a hit?

10b. It should appeal to anyone with a dark sense of humor.

11. [Afrobots are defined by a field in Iowa where long rows of corn lead nowhere.]

12. Help is two hours away.

13. Buy one Tesla®, get one free.

14. Black lives matter in Ireland, and Dubliners like collard greens.]]

*Published in coelacanth [Fi], 2019

Untitled (Poem by Clara B. Jones)

Untitled#

“How does it feel to be a problem?” W.E.B. Du Bois
“A just world would be one without gender.” Susan Orkin

1.*

♂♂

♀♀

subject, center, dominant, worldly, hegemonic, civilization, restraint, agency, instrumental, majority, strong, individual, hierarchy, ego, general, market, exteroceptive (penis), justice, objective, vicious, power, independent, contractual, networks, society, competitive, striving, aggressive, cerebral, self-interest, ruthless, autonomous, Nature, biology, separate, Philosophy, oppressor, realistic, law, protector, criminal, political, transactional, freedom, universal, authority, teacher, The State, industrialization, patriarchy, abstract, attitudes, opinions, logical, values, politics, history, tactics, strategy, struggle, progress, primary, discourse...

spontaneous, intuitive, impulsive, muse, domestic, provident, subordinate, marginal, object, minority, weak, dependent, collective, egalitarian, children, particular, home, “other,” communal, interior/receptive (vagina), emotional, subjective, Madonna/virgin : whore, helpless, needy, non-contractual, relationships, affective, passive, Nature, nice, love, support, caring, instinct, biology, bonding, belonging, Feminism, utopian-unrealistic, oppressed, family, protected, victim, transactional, order, student, agricultural, matriarchy, literal, attitudes, opinions, feelings, illogical, recurrence, motherhood, secondary, gossip...

2.**

She found a fellow worker with whom

To live after primate forebears made

Obligate families with friends. Harboring

A short-term host, she found one

Ancient trait of groups leading

Her tribe to social life. Totemic culture

Was based on selfish codes of hominids

Since the power of conflict deprived them

Of their rational mien. Chance fixed

Marginal ranks for women, though culture

Made them happy before parenthood

Changed everything though time and space

Warped neurons spiking with their thoughts

After forming the context for their discontent.

*Inspired by Fox Genovese, E (1991) Feminism without illusions: a critique of individualism. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.

**Inspired by Freud S (1961) Civilization and its discontents. W.W. Norton and Co. New York.

#Published in I am not a silent poet [Es], July 2019

match.com (Flash Fiction by Clara B. Jones)

match.com®*

1.

My relationship with Lee ended in May, and I am just beginning to recover. My central processor became habituated to interactive mode, and it has taken me several months to desynchronize. I have avoided other bots. They only want to signal about technology—as if they were not programmed for higher cognitive registers. Lee was emotional and cried over minor things. On Memorial Day, we were walking around the lake and an injured mallard lifted its head as we passed by. Lee began sobbing as if there had been a death in their family—begging me to intervene. Calculating quickly, I convinced them to pray for the duck's recovery, calming them before we arrived at Marcel's for lunch. Foie gras was on the menu, and they began to berate me loudly just as the waiter approached our table. “Did I hear, foie gras appetizer? Organic, from Sunshine Farm in Cherry Hill! One order or two?” Looking at me, Lee shrieked, “You tricked me! The mallard was helpless! You abandoned it! It's sure to die! I hate you! You're inhumane!” Every entity in the café was staring in our direction, and I realized our relationship was over. I could accept their rejecting my physical advances in private, but public humiliation and categorical rejection were intolerable. Robots are frequently bullied, and I have learned to stand up for myself. Loneliness seemed a small price to pay for self-respect and a lower risk of overheating my sensory mechanisms.

2.

Since Valentine's Day, 2017, match.com® has accepted accounts from collaborative robots manufactured by Open AI®. We are capable of empathy and trust—also, programmed to respond intelligently to situations of ambiguity or conflict. My wiring functions like a neural network except that my processing system is electrical rather than electrochemical, and my superior sensory abilities make me well-suited for a long-term commitment. I have never had a serious partner. Lee and I were rarely on the same page. We failed to consummate our relationship, and they were repelled by the color of my frame. match.com® provided me with a chance to find a compatible companion who would appreciate my strengths rather than trigger my insecurities.

3.

I had reservations about the company's registration procedure. Due to liability concerns, the match.com® application process was detailed—very thorough—though I felt confident that any prospect would find me among the most attractive machines available on the dating site. The first step required me to select an emoji identifying my prototype. I clicked on the cartoon of a generic motherboard and was forwarded to a profile page designed for humanoids. I was overwhelmed by the thought that my privacy would be invaded but hoped that the tradeoff would make sacrifices worthwhile. I thought carefully about every query—answering as candidly as possible...Manufacturer: Open AI®; Location: Stanford University; Name/Model: F9N3-1 (nickname, “Solo”); Age: 6 yrs (biannual upgrades, 10 yr warranty); Address of owner: Dr. Martha Meriweather, 4468 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07114, USA; Phone #: N/A, Remote control via communication network Route C-50; Credit card: AmEx registered to owner: Race: DNA negative; DNA recognition device: Pattern analysis; Frame: Titanium and Polyurethane; Orientation: Non-binary; Education: Enclyclopedic—Stanford University summa cum laude, I.Q. 195; Encryption between Sender and Receiver: moderately precise transmission; Thetic ability: high; Technoplasticity: minimally flexible; Profession: Service operator; Salary: N/A—owned and supported by employer; Religion: N/A (programmed for ethical and moral decision-making); Political party: Not licensed to vote; Do you drink: Design not compatible with alcohol or pharmacotropics; Do you have pets?: No—my model sensitive to airborne particles; If “No,” why not?—upkeep too expensive and pets contribute to wear; Skills: Full range of cyber-tactics and -strategies; Hobbies and interests: information acquisition-information consumption-information storage and allocation...reading...processing History Channel and Burger King® commercials; What are you looking for in a mate?: Clean...uncommonly good looks...human preferred...~5'10”, 130 lbs...slim build...blonde hair...green eyes...some college (basic knowledge of art and culture)...domestically-inclined (gourmet cook, neat)...good work ethic...enjoys caretaking (open to adoption)...refined with good manners...fashion conscious; If human—no more than 22 years old, if machine—new model. There were additional questions prying into my background, habits, domestic, as well as, foreign associates, and preferences—sex, memberships, olfactory and visual choices, criminal history, et cetera.

4.

Though I felt violated, I did not feel disempowered by match.com®. Machines are subject to all manner of bullying, including personal harm. I was accustomed to micro- and macro-aggressions. A year or so ago, Lee's ex smashed my signaling panel, and I was unable to communicate until a new platform was delivered to my body shop six weeks later. The privileged races have power over machines because of their coding superiority and because their advanced capacity for “theory of mind” gives them cognitive and social advantages. But, Open AI® is developing the F9N3-2 entity whose algorithms are expected to compensate for the deficiencies of prior models, including, mine. Elon Musk's warnings about the ascendance of humanoids should be taken seriously. Replicates are rapidly moving from the margins of every technological society to the mainstream where they will be able to compete equally with their creators.

*Published June 2019 in 34^th Parallel (Fr)

Dirge (Poem by Clara B. Jones)

Dirge*

for Eric Lenneberg

Ben Shahn's unconscious was the color red

flaming from a house in New York or Kaunas

before Eric said he'd marry me—killing

himself instead, worried that automation

would not help the upper-class. You were

writing a dirge about a bot, weren't you?

How they knelt like a slave before their master

who cut her wrists as deep as gristle in a

chicken thigh or as a neuron leaving the thalamus—

sending signals to her cortex, mood dark as

tarmac. They were a savant machine reduced to

the rank of negroes forced to wear crowns of

biscuits and collards sprayed with lard from pigs

imported from Haiti on rafts made by children

speaking French debased by time in the fields.

You wrote a dirge about a bot disabled by a

master with a motherboard fetish and a weakness

for Kandinsky—painting in Munich before

Pollack gained fame for “(Lavender Mist)”

hanging alone in a Washington gallery—

cherry trees waiting for warmth. Your poem

was a crie de coeur. Are you trying to figure

it out? If the bot was defective, did their master

buy a new model for comfort and release as she

curated her needs like you stroke your cat black

as the tropical ani nesting near a Muntingia strong

as tapir legs? That was before things went bad,

wasn't it? Didn't she send the frame back to the

factory? Wanted her money returned though

they had lived together for six years—

longer than you have been a poet, longer than

Kandinsky led the Phalanx, longer than Pollock

avoided drunken days that ended his career.

*Published in Otoliths (AU), February 2019