“A very odd experience”: That’s how Shutta Crum describes her recent encounter with the artificial-intelligence app ChatGPT.
The author of the popular newsletter “The Wordsmith’s Playground,” the retired librarian has also published sixteen books for young readers, countless poems that have appeared in prestigious journals, and two books of poetry. She met her husband, Jerry Clark, in a poetry-writing group. So she was eager to test AI’s strengths and weaknesses as a poet.
She challenged ChatGPT to “create a non-rhyming poem of 12 lines in the style of Shutta Crum.”
The result:
In fields of amber, whispers dance,
Through verdant meadows, shyly glance.
Butterflies, with fragile grace,
Paint the canvas, a vibrant chase …
“Too trite and sweet,” Crum concluded. Then she asked the app: “Doesn’t the poem you wrote for me rhyme?”
ChatGPT responded: “Apologies for the confusion. Upon reviewing the poem, I see that there are unintentional instances of rhyming.”
It offered a revision:
In fields of amber, whispers sway,
Through verdant meadows, softly play.
Butterflies, with delicate grace,
Paint the canvas, a vibrant chase …
“ChatGPT definitely links rhyme and poetry, unlike many working poets today,” Crum points out. “But, to give it some credit, it did a surprisingly good job of analyzing my style.”
According to the app, Crum’s “poems often capture the beauty of nature, evoke a sense of wonder, and employ vivid imagery.” It went on to mention “a sense of gentle movement and playfulness” and “elements of mystery and contemplation.”
Crum asked again: “Must all poems rhyme?”
ChatGPT answered: “No, not all poems must rhyme. Rhyme is just one of many poetic techniques that can be used to create rhythm, musicality, and cohesion.”
Crum tried one last time. Offering her poem “My Mother Taught Me to Quilt” as an example, she challenged, “Write a poem using a similar structure. DO NOT RHYME!”
The result:
In the warmth of my mother’s hands,
I learned to weave life’s timeless strands.
With threads of memories, tender and true,
A quilt of love, she gently drew …
“That’s pretty awful,” Crum says.
