A tale of love that never had a chance Of Jim who yearned for Marty from afar But never found the courage to advance And tell her how he felt before they part
He gave her a letter on the last day of school A letter that confessed his love for her She read it after graduation and felt a fool For not seeing how much he cared for her
She wanted to reach out and tell him so But life got in the way and kept them apart He waited for a sign but none did show And slowly lost the hope within his heart
But fate had other plans for them in store And took away their chance to evermore
She died in a car crash fifteen years later And never got to tell him how she felt
Composed by Bing Search AI, based on Reunion: A Story, by Yours Truly
Alex Diaz-Granados (1963- ) began writing movie reviews as a staff writer and Entertainment Editor for his high school newspaper in the early 1980s and was the Diversions editor for Miami-Dade Community College, South Campus' student newspaper for one semester. Using his experiences in those publications, Alex has been raving and ranting about the movies online since 2003 at various web sites, including Amazon, Ciao and Epinions.
In addition to writing reviews, Alex has written or co-written three films ("A Simple Ad," "Clown 345," and "Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss") for actor-director Juan Carlos Hernandez. You can find his reviews and essays on his blogs, A Certain Point of View and A Certain Point of View, Too.
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4 thoughts on “Jim & Marty: An AI Sonnet Based on ‘Reunion’”
Ooh, not so good! The first verse follows the rigid rules of a Shakespearean sonnet fairly well, but the structure falls apart after that. The iambic pentameter is off in several places and the syllable count is too. Each line should have 10 syllables. This poem exceeds that in many places. Words are repeated where they are supposed to rhyme. It has sixteen lines rather than the required fourteen. The two additional lines seem to be a comment that doesn’t attempt to rhyme and should not be a part of the poem itself! The poem treats the emotions portrayed on a somewhat superficial level. I am struck by the fact that AI had some of the same difficulties with this form that I have with it. The difference is that AI doesn’t keep trying to get it right!
AI is amazing! I have no doubt that it will continue to improve rapidly. Meanwhile, if I want to get the real deal, I should read your book. And I may even write a few more sonnets, though they are labor-intensive for me!
Thank you, Alex, for sharing this fascinating post! ❤
I had to spoon-feed it details from the novella, as the AI kept on inventing plot points that, while logical and possibly even worth thinking about if someone were to adapt it into a movie, were not in Reunion at all.
I would be honored, though, if you do decide to get a copy of Reunion. The Kindle version doesn’t have the nicer cover art (and heft and feel) of the paperback, but it’s from the same Kindle Create file, so except for purely cosmetic reasons, there are no differences.
The Bing AI is still new, and it even admits it is still learning when you chat with it. And sonnets are wickedly complicated…I’m not sure I could write one!
I keep imagining that some poets out there write sonnets with great ease, but I know it will always be hard work for me! Interesting that you had to coach AI along the way. I am sure it will not always be so. 🙂 If you ever feel the need to do penance for any misdeeds, writing a sonnet will serve you well!
A Certain Point of View, Too 
Ooh, not so good! The first verse follows the rigid rules of a Shakespearean sonnet fairly well, but the structure falls apart after that. The iambic pentameter is off in several places and the syllable count is too. Each line should have 10 syllables. This poem exceeds that in many places. Words are repeated where they are supposed to rhyme. It has sixteen lines rather than the required fourteen. The two additional lines seem to be a comment that doesn’t attempt to rhyme and should not be a part of the poem itself! The poem treats the emotions portrayed on a somewhat superficial level. I am struck by the fact that AI had some of the same difficulties with this form that I have with it. The difference is that AI doesn’t keep trying to get it right!
AI is amazing! I have no doubt that it will continue to improve rapidly. Meanwhile, if I want to get the real deal, I should read your book. And I may even write a few more sonnets, though they are labor-intensive for me!
Thank you, Alex, for sharing this fascinating post! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to spoon-feed it details from the novella, as the AI kept on inventing plot points that, while logical and possibly even worth thinking about if someone were to adapt it into a movie, were not in Reunion at all.
I would be honored, though, if you do decide to get a copy of Reunion. The Kindle version doesn’t have the nicer cover art (and heft and feel) of the paperback, but it’s from the same Kindle Create file, so except for purely cosmetic reasons, there are no differences.
The Bing AI is still new, and it even admits it is still learning when you chat with it. And sonnets are wickedly complicated…I’m not sure I could write one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I keep imagining that some poets out there write sonnets with great ease, but I know it will always be hard work for me! Interesting that you had to coach AI along the way. I am sure it will not always be so. 🙂 If you ever feel the need to do penance for any misdeeds, writing a sonnet will serve you well!
I look forward to checking out your book!
LikeLiked by 1 person