Recently, as I discussed self-reflection and consciousness with a psychologist friend, I used a metaphor describing how feelings are elusive when you inspect them more closely. The metaphor I used was the beautiful ripples on the water’s surface. They are elegant and calm yet moving steadily. They are inviting your touch. But once you do, you destroy the pattern and it’s gone. It’s just like looking for the thinker of your thoughts during meditation or the depths of feelings under closer inspection. I am fond of simple yet insightful ideas and regularly write them down.
As I pondered this idea, I wanted to turn it into something more. I turned to AI and crafted the following poem:
Fragile Reflections
Feelings are clouds, drifting slow,
Soft and silent as they go.
Close enough to sense their grace,
Yet vanish when I near their place.Like water’s ripples, bright and clear,
Perfect till my hand draws near.
One touch, one move, they’re swept away,
Fragile moments cannot stay.In mirrors stands my quiet face,
A gentle form of subtle grace.
But when my fingers touch the glass,
My mirrored self begins to pass.My shadow follows, quiet, near,
Yet never can I hold it here.
Each step I take, it shifts, it flees—
Just like feelings, mysteries.Feelings, ripples, clouds and shade,
Beauty that was never made
For hands to grasp or eyes to keep,
Only felt in moments deep.
I might be able to come up with something close in a couple of hours. This was generated in milliseconds, and it’s pretty good for that.
Translate to Hungarian
My native language is beautiful, especially suited for poems and prose. It was a natural idea to try translating the poem. It was a mess. But still better than what I would have done, though nowhere on par with Hungarian poets. It’ll get there in time.
Until then, I am very happy to be able to capture ideas and concepts in this new form. Give it a try!
The prompt GPT-4.5
Write me a poem with beautiful rhymes and simple language. The main theme is the fragility and elusiveness of feelings. They are like clouds in a sense; you feel them but can’t touch them, and they disappear when you closely inspect them. Water is like that; it has beautiful ripples, but they are destroyed upon touch. Yourself in the mirror is like that; once you try to touch it, it changes like your shadow. Use these metaphors to create the poem.
And the painting accompanying it. GPT-4o
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