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