Inward Threats, 2025
Commodore 64 & Apple 2E generative poetry programming & printing.
Tributed to House of Dust (1967) by Alison Knowles.
Template of poetry:
A body of ____ (Material, media)
Populated by ____ (Subject)
Held in ____ (Container, location, state of...)
Dreaming of ____ (Situation)
Example:
A body of water
Populated by infants
Held in high regard
Dreaming of people from all walks of life
Code (in Visual Studio Code) 1 REM CREATE 4 ARRAYS AND PRINT 5 VERSES (FOR APPLE2E) 5 OPEN 3,4 8 CMD 3 10 DIM A$(39) 11 A$(0) = “LONGING” 12 A$(1) = “ADDICTION” 13 A$(2) = “COMRADE” 14 A$(3) = “THE LOST” 15 A$(4) = “FRICTION” 16 A$(5) = “MOURN” 17 A$(6) = “SACRIFICATION” 18 A$(7) = “AN OLD MAN” 19 A$(8) = “SELF-DOUBT” 20 A$(9) = “THE LAST REMAINED” 21 A$(10) = “LUST” 22 A$(11) = “EMPTY POCKETS” 23 A$(12) = “ORDER” 24 A$(13) = “'PLEASE THIS CANNOT GO WRONG'” 25 A$(14) = “OUTSIDER” 26 A$(15) = “BROKEN SPINE” 27 A$(16) = “OUTBALANCED FEAR” 28 A$(17) = “DISGRACE” 29 A$(18) = “THE POET” 30 A$(19) = “BURNED INDUSTRY” REM 2ND TYPED-IN 31 A$(20)="UTOPIA" 32 A$(21)="A MODERN CRUSADER" 33 A$(22)="PURITY" 34 A$(23)="REINCARNATION" 35 A$(24)="A SMILE" 36 A$(25)="ABSURDITY" 37 A$(26)="CHRIST" 38 A$(27)="ANYTHING" 39 A$(28)="ONE OUNCE" 40 A$(29)="ENCHANTED TIDES" 41 A$(30)="TORTURE SYSTEM" 42 A$(31)="DISINTEGRATION" 43 A$(32)="ACHILLES" 44 A$(33)="SOUND" 45 A$(34)="DEREALIZATION" 46 A$(35)="SICKNESS" 47 A$(36)="SUICIDE" 48 A$(37)="PEACE IS COLD" 49 A$(38)="SHYNESS" 50 A$(39)="COMMON SENSE" 60 DIM B$(42) 61 B$(0) = “PEOPLE” 62 B$(1) = “YEARNINGS” 63 B$(2) = “BLANKNESS” 64 B$(3) = “ATTRACTION” 65 B$(4) = “CURLS” 66 B$(5) = “WEAK BREATHS” 67 B$(6) = “thousands of WINGS” 68 B$(7) = “OLD DYING DAYS” 69 B$(8) = “OPIUM” 70 B$(9) = “DESPAIR” 71 B$(10) = “SOURNESS” 72 B$(11) = “LIGHTS” 73 B$(12) = “MASSACRE” 74 B$(13) = “ADORATION” 75 B$(14) = “ghosts FROM THE PAST” 76 B$(15) = “TORN DIARIES” 77 B$(16) = “POEMS IN THIS DEPRESSED HEAD” 78 B$(17) = “CLOWN LAUGHTERS” 79 B$(18) = “THE SPIRIT OF THE GRAPE” 80 B$(19) = “VINES” REM 2ND TYPED-IN 81 B$(20) ="FOAMS" 82 B$(21)="WHAT SHE THOUGHT IS INVISIBLE" 83 B$(22)="WET ECSTASY" 84 B$(23)="DUSTY BOOTS" 85 B$(24)="PRISONERS of the heart" 86 B$(25)="KNIFES" 87 B$(26)="SLOW WHEELS" 88 B$(27)="CUTS ON SKIN" 89 B$(28)="HEART BEATS" 90 B$(29)="GRAPES SEEDS" 91 B$(30)="DIMENSIONS OF LOGIC" 92 B$(31)="SOMETIMES WHITE KEYS, OTHER TIMES BLACK" 93 B$(32)="BELIEFS" 94 B$(33)="ANTI-MISTAKES" 95 B$(34)="OLD-SCHOOL POETRY TEACHINGS" 96 B$(35)="APOLOGIES" 97 B$(36)="KISSES THAT HOPEFULLY WON'T HURT" 98 B$(37)="CONFORMITY" 99 B$(38)="OUR OFFSPRINGS" 100 B$(39)="VELVET CURTAINS" 101 B$(40)="DANGEROUS OFFERINGS" 102 B$(41)="UNDERGROUND SERVICES" 103 B$(42)="FORBIDDEN BOOKS" //104 B$(43)="DECIDED CATASTROPHE" 105 B$(44)="BUTTERFLIES" 106 B$(45)="MASKS SHE HATEDS" 107 B$(46)="SAGES" 108 B$(47)="PEOPLE LEFT HERE"// 110 DIM C$(39) 111 C$(0) = “HIS CONVERSATION” 112 C$(1) = “THE DEEPEST FOREST” 113 C$(2) = “AN ENCLOSED HEART” 114 C$(3) = “MOTHER’S WOMB” 115 C$(4) = “FATHER’S PAIN” 116 C$(5) = “NOWHERE” 117 C$(6) = “A SIGH” 118 C$(7) = “THE HOUSE OF DUST” 119 C$(8) = “CONTRADICTION” 120 C$(9) = “THE EARTHLY HEIGHT” 121 C$(10) = “THE EARLY BEAUTY” 122 C$(11) = “A WOUND” 123 C$(12) = “GIANTS’ HEADS” 124 C$(13) = “THE CEILING OF JEALOUSY” 125 C$(14) = “BLOOD deficiency” 126 C$(15) = “KILLINGS” 127 C$(16) = “CENTURIES” 128 C$(17) = “THE HEART OF A FEATHER” 129 C$(18) = “MY BOWL” 130 C$(19) = “LOVE (UNSPOKEN)” REM 2ND TYPED-IN 131 C$(20) = "A RHYTHM THEATRE" 132 C$(21) = "A KNOT" 134 C$(23) = "THE MILKY WAY" 135 C$(24) = "THE SHADOWS AT NOON" 136 C$(25) = "THE SYRINGE" 137 C$(26) = "A LAHAINA NOON" 138 C$(27) = ”SURPRISES" 139 C$(28) = "SEDUCTION" 140 C$(29) = "THE ONLY HURT ONE" 141 C$(30) = "REGRETS" 142 C$(31) = "AN URN" 143 C$(32) = "A MINER'S LUNGS" 144 C$(33) = "A COUGH" 145 C$(34) = "bridge bricks" 146 C$(35) = "A BALLOON THAT FLEETED AWAY" 147 C$(36) = "SECRETIVE FEELINGS" 148 C$(37) = "THE DOWNSIDE OF OUR PAINTERS" 149 C$(38) = "THE HUMAN SYNTHESIZER" 150 C$(39) = "THE ENDLESS COLLECTION" //151 C$(40) = "CONCRETE" 152 C$(41) = "CONFUSION" 153 C$(42) = "COMMODORE 64" 154 C$(43) = "THE BASEMENT" 155 C$(44) ="THE EARLY MORNING" 156 C$(45) ="THE ONLY FRIEND" 157 C$(46) = "THE LOVERS"// 160 DIM D$(19) 161 D$(0) = “OF HER CHILDHOOD IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE” 162 D$(1) = “WHILE BEING LOVED AND SCREAM AT” 163 D$(2) = “BEYOND THE HIGHEST HEAVEN” 164 D$(3) = “OF ONE MORE CONVERSATION WITH HER” 165 D$(4) = “OF SWALLOWING THAT HEAD ON THAT DAY” 166 D$(5) = “AND SPINNING TILL THE END” 167 D$(6) = “OF AN UP-SIDE-DOWN WORLD” 168 D$(7) = “AND ROTTING” 169 D$(8) = “OF MOVING FORWARD” 170 D$(9) = “OF THOSE FRAGILE LEAVES” 171 D$(10) = “OF HAVING A WIFE AND A CHILD” 172 D$(11) = “ON THE FOURTH DAY OF NOVEMBER” 173 D$(12) = “IN FRIEND'S GUITAR TUNE” 174 D$(13) = “BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY” 175 D$(14) = “OF A POTENTIAL PAST” 176 D$(15) = “FREEZINGLY” 177 D$(16) = “OF A BLANKET, MAYBE A QUILT” 178 D$(17) = “OF LEAVING EVERYTHING BEHIND” 179 D$(18) = “IN FRONT OF THE BEGINNING” 180 D$(19) = “OF THE IRONIC HISTORY” //181 D$(20) = “AND CONFUSED”// 400 DIM E$(1) 401 E$(0)=", SHE MUMBLES:" 402 E$(1)=", THE HOUSE ANSWERS:" 501 CT = 0 600 PRINT “A BODY OF “; A$(INT(RND(1)*40)) 601 PRINT “POPULATED BY "; B$(INT(RND(1)*43)) 602 PRINT “HELD IN "; C$(INT(RND(1)*40)) 603 PRINT “DREAMING "; D$(INT(RND(1)*20)) 604 PRINT “ “ 605 PRINT E$(INT(RND(1)*2)) 700 PRINT “ “ 701 CT = CT + 1 702 IF CT < 20 THEN GOTO 300 703 END 704 RUN