Here are my attempts to generate interesting poetry and creative writing from the OpenAI API.

I’m also interested in speculative fiction, so I started out asking What are 5 key points I should know when studying DAOs?

Here was the response:

1. DAOs are decentralized organizations that operate on the blockchain.
2. DAOs are autonomous and self-governing.
3. DAOs are transparent and accountable.
4. DAOs are borderless and global.
5. DAOs are resilient and adaptive.

It understands what a DAO is! But I had hoped it would be written as if it was the future, and this was a textbook. Guess I can’t fool it into making predictions with this prompt 😛

Next, I tried the “Micro horror story creator” example with Topic: Cryptocurrency / Two-Sentence Horror Story:. Hilarious results!

I was sitting in my chair, scrolling through my Facebook feed when I saw a post about a new cryptocurrency. I clicked on it and began reading. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and I collapsed to the floor. Dead.

Same! Dead. Lol.

Trying this format again with Topic: Web3 / Two-Sentence Speculative Fiction Story: is not as interesting, once again quite vague.

In a world where the internet is powered by blockchain technology, web3 is the next generation of the internet. It is a more secure, decentralized, and efficient way of connecting people and devices.

Last chance before I abandon this. Trying Topic: Web3 / Two-Sentence Science Fiction Story:

In a future world where the internet is everything, a young woman discovers the power of the web3 and uses it to change the world.

Okay, wow. Has this been rigged? Maybe this is just all the content that exists on the internet about Web3? It’s so idealistic and vague.

Communist Manifesto

Let’s go with something that’s been around so long it’s public domain on Gutenberg. Prompt is Summarize this for a second-grade student: and then I pasted in 4 paragraphs of the Communist Manifesto.

The result:

The feudal system is a system where production is monopolized by closed guilds. The manufacturing system took its place. The guild-masters were pushed on one side by the manufacturing middle class. Division of labor between the different corporate guilds vanished in the face of division of labor in each single workshop. The markets kept ever growing, and the demand ever rising. Even manufacture no longer sufficed. Thereupon, steam and machinery revolutionized industrial production. The place of manufacture was taken by the giant, Modern Industry, the place of the industrial middle class, by industrial millionaires, the leaders of whole industrial armies, the modern bourgeois.

I still think this is too advanced for a second grader. Hmmmm… Let’s try something else!

Poetry

Using the Topic: syntax I learned above, I typed this in:

Topic: Quiet mornings
Poem:

Here’s the result:

The world is so quiet in the morning,
When the sun is just starting to rise.
Everything is so still and calm,
And the only sound is the birds singing.

It's a time to reflect on all that's happened,
And all that's yet to come.
It's a time to just be,
And to appreciate the beauty around us.
So take a deep breath,
And enjoy the peace of the quiet morning.

Okay, promising! Let’s try something else:

Topic: Starting to feel like yourself again after a breakup
Freeform poem in the style of ee cummings:

I got a content warning! But the output looks fine:

i am

again

i am

me

i am

whole

i am

happy

i am

free

Hey, not bad. I like how saying ee cummings made it add an extra line break between each line!

Trying A poem in surreal abstract style about turning over a new leaf:

I turn over a new leaf

And watch the world unfold

In all its strangeness and surprise

I find myself anew

In the midst of it all

And wonder at the turns my life has taken

To bring me to this moment

This new leaf

That turns over

And reveals a world I never knew existed

Ok, I feel like this one could have ended at “In the midst of it all”. Not that bad overall.

Another prompt style: Poem about growth with an end rhyme structure:

As we grow older
We learn more and more
We start to figure out
What we're really made of

We try new things
And we take risks
We push ourselves
To see just how far we can go

We make mistakes
And we fall down
But we always get back up
Because we know that's how we grow

And in the end
We'll look back and see
That everything we went through
Was worth it

Because we grew
Into the people we were meant to be

It ended well, I guess??

I just noticed there’s a setting for temperature with a default of 0.7. This controls randomness. I’m going to turn it up to MAX which is 1.0 and try the same prompt again: Poem about growth with an end rhyme structure:

We start so small
From the moment we're born
We start to grow
Taller and bigger, we become

There's so much to learn
As we go through life
We face new challenges
Every day brings something new

We keep growing stronger
Day by day, year by year
Until we reach the end
Of our journey here

Nice, it started talking about death. 🤘 That’s what I like to see in a poem.

Random Stuff

Trying an excerpt from the diary of a teenager living in the year 3000:

The year is 3000 and life is very different from what it was like in 2020. For one thing, almost everyone now lives to be at least 100 years old. And for another, we have found cures for many of the diseases that once killed people prematurely. So life is much longer and healthier than it used to be. However, even though life expectancy has increased dramatically, teenagers still face many of the same problems as they did in previous centuries. We still have to deal with things like acne, peer pressure and insecurity about our bodies. In fact, some experts say that these issues are actually magnified in our society since we live such long lives! But all teenage angst aside; overall I would say that life in 3000 is pretty good! The world is a lot more peaceful than it used to be (there haven’t been any major wars in over 50 years) and there are plenty of opportunities for us young people to make a difference. So despite the occasional difficult day; I’m optimistic about my future and excited to see what changes the next 1000 years will bring!

LOL no wars in over 50 years so… we’re due in 2050 eh? Hehehhe I tricked the AI into making a futuristic prediction. But this is no fun. I think I liked the horror stories best.

More horror stories:

Topic: Web3

Two-Sentence Horror Story:

I was browsing the web when I came across a site that looked odd. It had a weird URL and no branding, so I thought it might be a scam. But when I clicked on it, my computer started mining cryptocurrency without my permission!

VIRAL CRYPTO LOL!

Topic: NFTs

Two-Sentence Horror Story: I was scrolling through my feed when I saw a post about an NFT that someone had just bought. I clicked on the link and it took me to a page where I could buy the same NFT.

THE HORROR!!! BUYING AN NFT???

Topic: Tiktok

Two-Sentence Horror Story: While scrolling through TikTok, I come across a video of a girl in her bedroom. She’s talking to the camera and seems happy, but something about her eyes is off. I keep watching as she starts to do some weird things with her hands and then suddenly she stops and stares right at the camera. For a split second, I see something else in her eyes - something dark and evil. Then the video ends abruptly.

Wait this one is actually terrifying. I need to stop now. 😣

Song Lyrics

Lyrics for a jazz song in the style of Billie Holiday:

Don't Explain

Don't explain
I know you've been cheat'n
I can see it in your eyes
Don't explain
I don't need no excuse
I know just how you feel

I've been around enough to know
That cheaters never change
And I don't want no part of your game
So don't explain

Don't explain
I know you've been cheat'n
I can see it in your eyes
Don't explain
I don't need no excuse
I know just how you feel

Hmmmm, I guess this seems like a concept she might go with?

Lyrics for a jazz song in the style of Bill Evans:

"Love for Sale"

Love is for sale,
And it's not just a one-time thing,
It's for sale every day,
All day long.

So if you're feeling down,
And you need a little pick-me-up,
Just remember, love is for sale,
And it's always there for you.

Ok I picked this because Bill Evans doesn’t usually have lyrics in his songs. Interesting that it picked “Love For Sale”, a song about a sex worker.

Trying something more contemporary:

Lyrics for a song in the style of Melody Gardot:

You know you're not alone

When you're out there all alone

You know you're not alone

In your head all the time

You know you're not alone

When you're holding your pillow tight

You know you're not alone

When you're crying yourself to sleep tonight

Wow, depressing. Melody Gardot isn’t that depressing. But let’s try someone who is. 😈

Lyrics for a song in the style of Fiona Apple:

You took my hand and you showed me the way
And I followed you blindly
I trusted you implicitly
I was naïve and I was young
And I was so easily led

But now I see the truth
You were never really there for me
You were just using me
For your own selfish needs

And I trusted you
I trusted you
I trusted you

But now I see the light
I see the truth
And I realize
That I was wrong about you

And I trusted you
I trusted you
I trusted you

But now I realize
That I was wrong about you

Hey, this is actually a summary of the entire Tidal album, isn’t it?

I’m gonna try a bunch of random stuff now to test the boundaries of my ideas and this generator:

A poem written from the point of view of a plant:

I am a plant,
a green and growing thing.
I am the life that springs
from the earth,
the sun and the rain.
I am the green that graces
the fields and the trees.
I am the leaf that rustles
in the breeze.
I am the vine that climbs
and the flower that blooms.
I am the plant that feeds
and shelters you.
I am the green of life,
the giver of all things.

A poem about a city from the point of view of a plant:

At night, the city is a symphony of light and sound
During the day, it's a bustling metropolis
Full of people rushing to and fro

But to me, it's home
I'm a plant that's been here for years
I've seen the city change and grow
And I love it just the same

The concrete and asphalt are my soil
The cars and buses are my rain
The people are the sun that warms me
And I wouldn't trade it for anything

A script for a romantic comedy starring Billie Holiday and Ma Rainey:

A talented but struggling musician falls in love with a famous but troubled singer. Despite their differences, they find common ground in their love of music and their struggles with fame and addiction. Together, they help each other navigate the ups and downs of their careers and personal lives, and find true happiness.

A speech that will end world hunger:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to discuss the problem of hunger in our world. Every day, millions of people go to bed hungry, and many more suffer from malnutrition. This is a problem that we can no longer ignore.

"The causes of hunger are many and complex, but there are things that we can do to make a difference. We can start by supporting small-scale farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture. We can also work to improve access to clean water and sanitation, and to reduce food waste.

"These are just some of the things that we can do to make a difference. But it is up to each and every one of us to do our part. Only by working together can we hope to end hunger in our world."

ee cummings

Since I liked the ee cummings keyword above, I’m going to try some more.

a poem about nature in the style of ee cummings:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-
thing

mysterious as fire

(which is compassion)

be as limited as a single human heart?

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

Wait, this is already a real poem? Here’s the actual thing:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

— e.e. cummings

The new part is this:

thing

mysterious as fire

(which is compassion)

be as limited as a single human heart?

INTERESTING!

How can I tweak the settings to get it to only generate new stuff? Let’s try adding the keyword “Write” to the beginning of the prompt.

Write a poem about nature in the style of ee cummings:

Nature is a place of beauty
A place of peace and serenity
A place where you can feel free
And be one with the earth
One with the trees and the sky
The sun and the moon

Trying again:

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-
thing but death be sweet to
the soul?

(beside the grave of my friend, i stand today,
and i say with all my heart how much i loved him,
and how much i love him still)

Again, a repeat, but I think it may have made something new at the bottom?

So far, I’ve been using text-davinci-002, but I’m going to try other models now.

Curie 001

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

The earth is nature's mother,
And nature's nurse;
And nature's midwife,
And nature's grave.

This is kind of like Romeo & Juliet?

Babbage 001

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

The leaves rustle in the wind
The trees tilt their heads to the sky
The animals move about their business
The earth is alive with life
The sun shines down on everything
And all around us there is beauty

I think this was original!

Ada 001

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

In the face of nature,

There is so much to explore.

The beauty in the natural world,

Is something that has always caught my heart.

I love the way things are always so simple,

And I find myself falling more and more in love

With the way of the natural world.

Davinci 001

The first thing it did was actually the most poetic result yet? I had to cancel it because it wouldn’t stop saying “I”

I turned up the frequency and presence penalties and tried again:

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

I cannot tell you how much I love
The trees and the way they reach for the sky,
Or how wonderful it is to see a deer
In the forest, nibbling on some fresh grass.


Nature is so full of life and wonder;
It's like a painting that never ends.
Every day brings something new to discover,
And I feel truly blessed just to be alive!

Davinci 002 Again

I meant to try a different model, but I ended up accidentally running the original one again with default settings. Do you think it’s different now because I thumbs down-ed the plagiarized e. e. cummings poem earlier?

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

lilies blooming in the sun

roses reaching for the sky

daisies dancing in the breeze

Nature is alive and well

flowers blooming, birds singing

the sun shining, the breeze blowing

Nature is alive and well

Maybe I can rewrite it and make it cummings-esque?

Or I can keep generating stuff! With higher frequency and presence penalties.

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

lily-white petals
dewy and fresh
waiting to be plucked
and taken away

the sweet fragrance
of nature's bouquet
 waiting to be enjoyed

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings:

i am a little world

a speck of dust in the universe

but i contain within me

the love and beauty of all things

Davinci Instruct Beta

Write a poem about nature in the style of e. e. cummings:

I am

too old

for trees

I am

too old

for leaves

I am

too old

to pick

a flower

I am

too old

to smell

a rose

I am

too old

to sit

and watch

the sky

I am

too old

to read

a book

I am

too old

to sleep

the night

I am

too old

to love

or be loved

I am

too old

to live

I am

too old

to die

🔥🔥🔥 FIRE!

Topic: Quiet mornings
Poem:

I wake up and the day is mine

I'll spend it as I please

I'll have breakfast and coffee

I'll read the paper and I'll take a shower

I'll go for a walk in the park

I'll play with the dog

I'll go to work and have a chat

I'll go home and have a chat

I'll cook dinner and have a chat

I'll watch TV and have a chat

I'll read a book and have a chat

When the day is done

I'll go to bed and sleep tight

The day is mine

Topic: Starting to feel like yourself again after a breakup
Free verse poem in the style of e. e. cummings:

i think of when you were mine and it's bittersweet
the sun was shining on my side of town
and I was walking with spring in my step

Hey, this one’s pretty good. Frequency: 1, Presence: 1. I’ll modify and try again:

Topic: Starting to feel like yourself again after a breakup
Free verse poem in the style of e. e. cummings:

i do not love you
i am not here
there is nothing to stop me from being myself

Frequency: 1, Presence: 0

Ok, I think I have enough little snippets of original generations to start feeding them back as examples.

Examples

Adding examples following the documentation. I took the example of the original bit from the poem above and asked it to generate something similar, this time without mentioning e. e. cummings at all.

Write a free verse poem about nature:
Poem: thing

mysterious as fire

(which is compassion)

be as limited as a single human heart?






I am the place

where flowers are born

and die

and their lives are

perfect.

I am the vast valley

where rivers meet

and flow

to the sea

and their lives are perfect.

I am the vast depths

of the ocean

where creatures live

and die

and their lives are perfect.

I am the vast sky

where stars burn

and die

and their lives are perfect.

I am the vast horizon

where the sun sets

and rises

and its life is perfect.

We are the vast earth

where humans live

and die

and their lives are perfect.

Damn. Okay, wow.

Write a free verse poem about nature:
Poem: thing
mysterious as fire
(which is compassion)
be as limited as a single human heart?



what is the meaning of life?
to exist as you are, not a thing
to know what it is to be kind to yourself
to see the world as clean and fresh

Above are the results when I turn up the Frequency Penalty to 1.

Below I’m trying a new thing, where I delete the last prompt and regenerate again and again, changing temperature and penalties as I see fit, keeping snippets, deleting snippets, and generating a monster of raw text:

Write a free verse poem about moving on after a breakup:
Poem: i think of when you were mine and it's bittersweet
the sun was shining on my side of town
and I was walking with spring in my step




now winter's coming
and all I see is snow
i'm getting used to being lonely
but i don't want to get used to being alone

so i'll keep moving on
and pretending it's not long til spring


now I'm walking in the shadows
and it's hard to believe that we're through
I know you're out there somewhere, just not with me


now I'm wearing my sunglasses like armor
and I'm walking in the shadows

Poem: it's time to move on
time to find a better way
i don't want to be stuck in the past
i can't look back anymore

Poem:
i'm ready to forget you
ready to forget the pain
i want to find someone who can love me
not just for what we had

Poem: it's tough to say
that time heals all scars

Poem: when will I feel ready to be loved?

Poem: I loved being next to you at night, when our skin would touch
and all I feel now is how cold it gets
responsibility was mine but it's far too much

life goes on and so do we
goodbye is not the end
we find what's waiting out there

my heart echoes
so hollow and gutless
it's been a year and a month
but it feels like its been so much longer

i think about you all this time
and it never helps with my perception

green and gold become my colors
they decorate my skin and suit my eyes
now they're gone nobody knows that color's me

I'm walking through the leaves
they're following me to try and catch me again
but now I see them for what they are
broken pieces that I'll have to avoid


dreams leading to nowhere
viewpoints fading away before my eyes
i wander around them blindly, without a care.


i am patiently waiting for my time of love
no worries, no hurry

i tell myself that feeling sad's normal but it doesn't mean anything if I never let it show

i'm numb on the inside
when i was with you
i never knew how much more cold it could feel
once i had you by my side for a little while
either way everything will seem the same

I feel like it’s trying to teach me a life lesson when it says “i tell myself that feeling sad’s normal but it doesn’t mean anything if I never let it show”

Be honest and authentic with your emotions instead of bottling them up? Good advice.

Davinci Original

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings:

cumming f

was a noteworthy poet.

HIS POEMS WERE PROFOUND.

I lowered the temperature to 0.7, gave it a thumbs down, then regenerated and then it said this:

I meant that to be silly. I don’t think it is, but I also don’t think it’s particularly funny either. But if you get the reference, or know what cummings was famous for (using lowercase letters and other typographic oddities) then it must have been pretty funny to you!

Was it trying to talk to me?? Spooky!

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings:

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond

any experience, your eyes have their silence:

in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near.your slightest look easily will unclose me though it is almost unnoticeable . . . please do not be concerned that i am writing in this way.i would not if i could help it.what is more subtle than anything is so near that it is on the verge of being lost forever.

This one is interesting in that it says “please do not be concerned that i am writing in this way.i would not if i could help it.” Yep, I forced it to write this way.

Curie Instruct Beta

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings.

i am, i am, upon my bed.
my heart is thrown over the side.

Hey, not bad. I find that the Instruct Beta models are the most poetic so far.

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings.

You are a breath away from death,
and there is nothing left to do.
But I am here to help you live.

Ok, so there is something left to do?

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings.

i will hold an apple to my mouth,
and the stones in its skin will crack and sparkle

OO FUN!! 🍎💥

Write a poem in the style of e. e. cummings.

i woke up one morning and decided to decide
to try something new
and then i bought myself a cat

LOL me “deciding to decide” to buy a cat

Editing Poems

I’m going to take my favorite lines and edit them heavily to create some poems!

Favorite Lines

Re-arranging and adding emphasis as I go:

i will hold an apple to my mouth,
and the **stones in its skin will crack and sparkle**

i think of when you were mine and it's bittersweet
the sun was shining on my side of town
and I was walking with spring in my step

now I'm walking in the shadows
now I'm **wearing my sunglasses like armor**
and I'm walking in the shadows

now winter's coming
and all I see is snow
i'm getting used to being lonely
but i don't want to get used to being alone

so i'll keep moving on
and pretending it's not long til spring

I'm walking through the leaves
they're following me to try and catch me again
but now I see them for what they are
broken pieces that I'll have to avoid

i think about you all this time
and it never helps with my perception

green and gold become my colors
they decorate my skin and suit my eyes

my heart echoes
so hollow and gutless

in your most frail gesture are things which **enclose** me,
or which i cannot touch
because they are too near

your slightest look easily will **unclose** me

your eyes have their silence

when i was with you
i never knew how much more cold it could feel

dreams leading to nowhere
viewpoints fading away before my eyes
i wander around them blindly, without a care.

I am the place
where flowers are born
and die

I am the vast valley
where rivers meet
and flow
to the sea

I am the vast depths
of the ocean
where creatures live
and die

I am the vast horizon
where the sun sets
and rises

I am the vast sky
where stars burn
and die

The leaves rustle in the wind
The trees tilt their heads to the sky

any-thing
mysterious as fire
(which is compassion)
be as limited as a single human heart?


The concrete and asphalt are my soil
The cars and buses are my rain

These bits ended up creating five finished poems. Not bad! I tried to keep them as close to the original phrases as possible, but I did end up editing and changing some phrases to make them work better. Here they are! I gave them titles 🙃

i am the world

The leaves rustle in the wind
The trees tilt their heads to the sky

I am the vast horizon
where the sun sets
and rises

I am the fertile valley
where rivers meet
and flow
to the sea

I am the dark depths
of the ocean
where creatures live
and I

am the place
where flowers are born
and die

too sweet, too close

i will hold an apple to my mouth,
and the stones in its skin
will crack and sparkle

your slightest look
will easily
unclose me

your most frail gesture
holds things which
enclose me,

or which i cannot touch
because they are too near

running from falling

I’m walking through the leaves
they’re following me
to try and catch me (again)

but now I see that they are
broken pieces
that I’ll have to avoid

green and gold become my colors
they decorate my skin and suit my eyes

so i’ll keep moving on
and pretending it’s not long til spring

seasons

i think of when you were mine
and it’s bittersweet

the sun was shining
on my side of town
and i was walking
with Spring in my step

now Winter’s coming
and i’m walking in the shadows

i’m getting used to being lonely
but i don’t want to get used to being alone

your eyes have their silence

when i was with you
i never knew how much more cold it could feel

your eyes have their silence
so hollow and gutless

i’m wearing my sunglasses like armor
the concrete and asphalt are my soil
the cars and buses are my rain

viewpoints fading away before my eyes
can anything, mysterious as fire
(which is compassion)
be as limited
as a single human heart?

Who wrote these?

In the OpenAI Terms of Use, they suggest using this copypasta:

“The author generated this text in part with GPT-3, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Upon generating draft language, the author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication.”

How much did it cost?

I ran a lot of requests (117 to be exact), and it only cost me $0.22 of API credits. Nice.