A monthly meeting of writers from Nashville’s Jewish community meets every month at The Temple.

By Ruth Thomas

 

Are you reading a book?

No.

I am reading the meandering puddle on the path after a rain as I walk through the

Pine forest.

I am reading the smile on your face,

The lift of your cheekbones that make your eyes crinkle,

As you look at me.

I am reading the faces on the news, of children,

Gaunt and scared,

Who I cannot reach out to comfort.

 

What I see touches my soul and becomes part of me.

My boundaries are as thick as I choose them to be.

As I see, I feel, and I know.

What seems to be on the outside is as much inside,

Making me what I am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Happened at the Most Recent

WRITERS OF THE LOST ARK

Meeting

by Loretta Saff

 

The meeting was almost over. We were sharing our creative pieces based on the writing prompt – “Two friends meet for the first time in years.” (A writing prompt is a topic or idea offered to spark creativity.)

I had brought a “guest” to the Zoom meeting, and when it was almost over, someone asked me, “Is your guest going to answer the prompt?” I smiled and said “Sure.”

I turned to my guest and requested: “Write a poem about two friends meeting after many years.” Within three seconds this was the result:

 

Two friends met after many years,

A moment to cherish, filled with cheers.

They hugged and laughed, reminisced and joked,

Like they had never been apart or provoked.

 

One had a potbelly, the other a beard.

Both had aged but their friendship not smeared.

They talked about old times and new,

Sharing stories both false and true.

 

One had a fancy job, the other none.

But their friendship was still number one.

They joked about their love lives and exes,

Their failures and their successes.

 

As they said their goodbyes, they made a vow.

To never let so much time pass again - no matter how.

Life may take them in different ways,

But their friendship would endure for all their days.

 

At first the group was quiet. When they started to comment, I interrupted and said, “Before you go any further, let me introduce my guest, the latest advance in artificial intelligence, ChatGPT!”

 

Most of us already use artificial intelligence or ‘AI’ on our various electronic devices. The difference in the newly developed ChatGPT is that it can compose poetry and essays and even write code that we thought only a human could do - all within a minute or two.

 

There are pros and cons for ChatGPT’s usage and regulation. There are promises of efficiency and speed in accessing data along with other positive results but there is also fear of job takeover, uncertainty of authorship, and a myriad of other problems. Will it be used for good or bad? What will happen to creative thinking? Only time will tell.

 

Clearly, ChatGPT will not be invited to our other meetings.

Check ChatGPT out for yourself at openai.com.