Poems from Motifs
by Gary Beck

 

 

Unproportionate

 

I somewhat understand

the troubled nature of man

whose greed overwhelms good sense,

producing inordinate desire

for acquisition

that despoils the earth,

yet wherever we gather

the good outnumber the bad,

but much too often

the bad outweigh the good.

 

 

 

 

 

Machine Learning IX

 

Humans program machines

to compete with humans

and have already defeated them

at complex board games, chess, Go.

But they haven’t played sports yet

and the technology is a ways off

until they serve and volley,

though they might rally from the baseline,

if anyone wanted to see that.

When we assess what A.I. can do

they can plan war if they play chess.

And as machines grow smarter,

teaching other machines

to do more and more,

they may leave humans the arts, sports,

yet android acting

may not be as bad

as some we see on cable.

 

 

 

 

 

Mated to Illusion

 

Most chess players believe

it’s an intellectual game

that reflects their intelligence

when they lose,

oblivious to the fact

that it’s a sport,

just not a physical one.

Like any other sport

if you don’t have talent

there are limitations

on how well you play.

They should never forget

Bobby Fisher, the best example

of the idiot savant,

who became world champion

while reading comic books.

 

 

 

 

 

Disturbance

 

The March lion roars in

with powerful storms

panicking some,

ignored by others.

Damage, except for the few

is quickly repaired

and we get about our lives

until  the next disruption.

 

 

 

 

 

Failure to Urbanize

 

People need to move

from place to place,

work, school, shopping, entertainment,

but the cities aren’t designed

for the multitude

of cars, cabs, buses, trucks

so our diminutive officials

instead of improving

public transportation

want to charge a congestion tax

to keep cars from the financial district

without giving them a better way

to get to their destinations.

 

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