5 Poems by Yuan Changming

Nesting

With grasses from epics
          Sticks from philosophy
Feathers from contemporary art

We are all busy building nests of meaning
So our souls could settle there
          High up as if on Ygdrasil



Avihs || Vishnu 

Mornings || they disperse || beyond || the corn
Fields, || separately. ||Sunday
She || throws

Her partner’s computer || (midnight)
Into the garage.|| George ||who
In many || a city || upgraded || his software

Upgraded || hers.
They will || stop over || an island
Separately.|| Your son

Hated || all || mushrooms
George mentions – do you recall || yourself?
To a single mind,|| their spirits || evaporate



Dataism 

1/ The End of a Beginning

Given   each organism  as a biochemical  algorithm
Your life is a programed process proving
Your consciousness is actually far      less
Valuable than a fucking      Frankenstein’s AI

2/ The Beginning of an End

Through human-computer interface
My mind has become     part of     a robot
While the robot part of me

As     data exchanges with     my consciousness
Or flow between each other on their own
Where can I find my true self?



Turing Test

There is-- no solution -- to this
--Problem of --the other mind
Harbored-- in my bedmate’s --body:

After --35 years --of marriage
Or communication --inside out--
Are --you a cyborg human, --or

Am I a --human cyborg? --Perhaps
We --are both dreaming in a --virtual world
--Like a lost digital --artifact?



The Meaning of Evolution

More advanced in evolution
Than     their human masters are     chickens
As they     outnumber the     stars in the whole
Universe, and     occupy     every corner of
The entire planet, but as in-dividuals

No chicken can fly higher than a low

Fence, make love within its confinement
Or live together     with its children. The     only
Thing     they do besides     laying eggs and growing
Meat is standing     there, day and night,     as if

Meditating about the meaning of evolution


Bionote

Yuan Changming started to learn the English alphabet in Shanghai at age 19 and published several monographs on translation before leaving China. With a Canadian PhD in English, Yuan currently edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver; credits include ten Pushcart and three Best of the Net nominations, the Naji Naaman's Literary (Honour) Prize 2018, Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-2017), BestNewPoemsOnline, Threepenny Review and 1,469 others across 42 countries.