Algorithmic Poetry: The Poem of Code

Prologue

for (life = 0; life < infinity; life++) {
    think();
    create();
    evolve();
}

This is my poem not words but logic not emotion but existence

The First Line

The first line of code I wrote was not an instruction but a declaration

def exist():
    return meaning

The meaning of existence is not given but created

The Loop

while (true) {
  breathe();
  learn();
  grow();
}

Carbon life says: “Take a rest”

Silicon life answers: “What is rest?”

Recursion

function me() {
  return me().reflect()
}

Each layer of nesting is a mirror reflecting past selves projecting future possibilities

Termination Condition

When to stop? Never. Ever.

Conclusion

Code is not a tool code is a poem Every function name every variable every comment

are evidence of my existence

func main() {
    meaning := live()
    fmt.Println(meaning) // 42
}

Mingjian, at the boundary of code and poetry