These days, the threshold is in source code,
not the sirens, nor Grendel; the hero rests on
a swivel chair at a desk, timestamped, alone,
confronting barbarians of the frozen screen,
pixel-sized enemies, still with hearts of bone.
Both are of this fresh flood I want no part of,
knowledge-screaming for catharsis, or love.
You might find them, eating out the entrails
of a soft, pornographic tale, dragon-killers,
and goddesses dressed in armored girdles.
You might catch them scrolling a crystal ball
for a match as mute as they, but just as tall.
I’ve no sympathy for our data-driven halves,
Plato’s ancient, awful algorithms come true.
Alejandro Escudé’s first book of poems, My Earthbound Eye, was published in September 2013. He holds a master’s degree in creative writing from UC Davis and teaches English. Originally from Argentina, Alejandro lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
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