Sailors and
volunteers gathered after the June 23rd race for our twice weather-delayed sock
burning ritual, celebrating Summer’s arrival. Many participants read poems they
have composed about sailing or their stinky socks. This year, we also invited
an artificial intelligence app to compose a poem, which it did within one
second of entering the context for the poem and hitting “enter.”
First, the poetry
of participants:
The sails are
white, the water is blue,
So what do we do?
We gather the
tiller, rudder, and a life vest or two
And head for the
dock, just me and you.
For summer is
here and racing begins,
Time to test our
skills and the fickle wind.
Maybe, just maybe
we will bring home a win!
-
A.T.
There once was a
club for sailing.
Some sailed while
others were bailing.
On a nice windy
day,
The Lasers, “Y”,
and “J”,
All enjoy
themselves without failing.
-
J.S.
Through the
winter my socks kept me warm.
So sorry to send
them to the fire and harm.
But to extinguish
the odor we must say goodbye
To my smelly
socks as flames rise high.
-
T.S.
There was an old
"salt", a peg-leg cripple;
Telling stories
to laughter and sniffle!
One tale made
people shudder
And hold tight to
each other!
'Twas a tale of
the race of Bartlett & Riffle!
-
M.B
Our sailing sock
pairs were all burning!
For summer sail
races we’re yearning!
Kevin, Matt, and
Laura are tryin’;
Tom, Catey, and
Dianne keep flyin’.
But it’s Jim
Voelz from whom we’re all learning.
-
M.B.
The next one is haiku
which although brief, adds a difficulty factor to meet the prescribed formula
for haiku: A haiku is a short, unrhymed poem that adheres to a specific
three-line, seventeen-syllable format.
Adieu my old
socks,
You served me
well in Winter.
Ahoy there,
Summer.
-
L.D.
Now poetry from
artificial Intelligence:
As winter fades
and springtime mocks,
We gather here
with smelly socks.
In colors bright
and hues that scare,
We fling them
high into the air.
The stench of
feet from days of yore,
No match for wind
and waves' sweet roar.
We cast them now
into the flame,
With laughter
loud, we play the game.
O socks, once
worn with boots and shoes,
Your time has
come, you’ve paid your dues.
No longer trapped
in winter's grip,
We send you off
on this last trip.
To summer skies
and sailing dreams,
To sunshine
bright and sparkling streams.
We bid farewell
to wool and thread,
And welcome
warmth and seas ahead.
So burn, dear
socks, in fiery blaze,
And mark the end
of chilly days.
With every puff
of smoky air,
We celebrate the
joys we share.
Goodbye, old
friends, you’ve served us well,
In stormy
weather, rain, and swell.
But now it’s time
for summer’s call,
For sailing fun
and thrills for all!
-
Chat GPT (composed it in one second). Next year we will
ask it to compose haiku.
Not to worry sailors, we will not be allowing AI-controlled sailboats.
