Code = Poetry = Code?

While the big wide world classes Bristol Wireless as supertechies or ubergeeks, we do have artistic sensibilities: indeed, the co-op has several artist(e)s – musicians, DJs, wordsmiths, practitioners in the plastic arts, etc. – in its ranks and I reckon that collectively we have more appreciation of creative works than your average Radio 4 studio full of art critics.

It is often said that code is poetry: proof of this is the fact that software is treated as a work of literature, but is poetry also code?

You can now judge, since one of the pleasant experiences we brought back from the Ragged Hedge Fair (news passim) was community poet Tony Hillier’s visit to the cybertent. This resulted in Tony sending us a poem which we’re pleased to reproduce below:

Conversion process

Looking for
Twelve volt flat screens
So we don’t lose anything
In the conversion process

This warm co-operative hot spot
There for you and your world
This teenage crèche

These cheap café chairs
Bring you rich text format
And plain vanilla computing
Four chairs made from one coke can
They’re that comfortable in this
Solar powered penguin paradise

Flaming foxes and frozen weasels
No nose can sense the smell of diesel
From gnu to re-new in penguin suits
This apple-free cider space
Well dressed, well addressed, innit
www.bristolwireless.net

Thanks very much Tony! We’re now wondering if any other IT co-op has had poetry written about it…