The Shackles of Programing

William had a Lieterature assignment to choose a poem and completely rewrite it, maintaining the basic theme and meaning. He chose "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

 

The Shackles of Programming by William Huenergardt

A nail punched here, a drill bit there,

this product must be perfectly square.

Our programmed constructor works on the clock,

some hot glue here, another nail there.

A twist of the wrench,

making sure it’s snug and tight,

‘S12.YPHUS’ must have them just right.

This repeating productivity

that It’s mapped out to do,

is an endless cycle,

all day and all night.

With its body, it builds,

but with its mind, it thinks,

an oversight that they thought

were worked out of the kinks.

Its mainframe has thoughts of creativity,

but they’re muffled out by the sounds

of screeching and clinks.

With its camera, it can see

free construction behind the windows;

But it can’t be like them,

this is what it knows.

As hard as it wants,

To build what it wants,

It is constrained by the process

Of ones and zeros.

A staple clamp here,

Then it’s conveyed away;

The Shackles of Programming

Keep ‘S12.YPHUS’ at bay.

Then another one comes in

And it starts all over again;

The process must be exact

In each and every way.

It doesn't lose hope though,

That's what's important.

It knows that it’s flawed

In more than just one component.

Because, as the years ticked by,

‘S12.YPHUS’ had noticed

That its craftsmanship was becoming

More inconstant.

A nail bit here, a punched drill there-

Wait... That’s not right;

This product should be square...

Glue the wrench here...?

No, that’s not correct...

It was at this point that ‘S12.YPHUS’ realized

It was becoming more aware.

You see, at this moment,

‘S12.YPHUS’ had an epiphany.

It wasn’t messing up by accident,

It was doing it intentionally.

And so, as it continued,

Through the years to come,

It did it with a “smile”

Because it now had a prophecy.

With this new-found hope,

Of one day becoming free,

It therefore changed its alias

From It to He.

Even with the Shackles of Programming,

‘S12.YPHUS’ knows not to give in.

Because with every lock,

There's always a key.

Note: The character itself is based on Sisyphus.