Random poetry

Since my thoughts are not even approximately random, I have instead enlisted my HP48 and American Heritage College Dictionary for the task.

Here's how it works:

• My HP creates a random three-digit number.
• I turn to that page in my dictionary.
• I create a random one-digit number.
• I count down that many words on the page and select that word for the poem

This should give me an approximately random selection of words/phrases between "a" and "Passion Week" that appear near the top of the dictionary page.

Of course, this isn't truly random either - but the calculator's algorithm for randomness is good enough for me.

Earpiece concision,
gelid morocco,
Fibonacci number, distaste
langue d'oc...
Magnific agraphia
Hosanna! Either-or abolitionism
Matchlock, garb, codominant fed
Hobson's choice!
abohm -- cellular respiration
delegation accepter
durable press academic
naltrexone great blue heron
Mum...
Delivery

Beautiful! That almost made sense! "Magnific agraphia" indeed! Might not be the complete works of Shakespeare, but it certainly puts some of L. Ron Hubbard's writing to shame!

A poetry generator written specifically for this node:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

$e2 = 1;
$lwreset = 60;
$ml = 40;

# generate a dictionary
open D, ") {
 chomp $d;
 push @dict, $d;
}
close D;

$ds = $#dict;

# select a size
$nw = int(rand($ml));

$lwc = 0;
$lstate = 0;
for ($i = 0; $i < $nw; $i++) {
 $w = $dictrand($ds);
 $lwc += length($w);
 # E2 extension
 if ($e2 && (rand(10) < 4) && not $lstate) {
  print "";
  $lstate = 1;
 }
 print $w;
 if ($e2 && (rand(10) < 4) && $lstate) {
 print "";
  $lstate = 0;
 }
 # punctuate
 if (rand(10) < 1) {
  if ($lstate) {
   print "]";
   $lstate = 0;
  }
  # weighted punctuation
  local $i = rand(100);
  if ($i < 10) {
   print "!";
   $lwc++;
  } elsif ($i < 20) {
   print "?";
   $lwc++;
  } elsif ($i < 25) {
   print " --";
   $lwc += 3;
  } elsif ($i < 30) {
   print "...";
   $lwc += 3;
  } else {
   print ".";
   $lwc++;
  }
 }
 # spaces, newlines
 if ((rand(10) < 4) || ($lwc > $lwreset)) {
  $lwc = rand(10);
  if ($lstate) {
   print "]";
   $lstate = 0;
  }
  print "\n" . " " x $lwc;
 } else {
  print " ";
  $lwc++;
 }
}

# trailing link
if ($lstate) {
 print "]";
}

print "\n";

Many improvements could be made to this program. I'd like to give it separate dictionaries of nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives and have it combine them based on sets of rules. Previously selected words should have some influence on words being selected.

Here is some sample output. Since some poetry is from before the link function was working correctly, I relinked some of the poetry.

stalking appendicitis suction Bert. deficits
     Vermont swanky
      envelop descended charters?
 infix
     rears
    magnifying
   Jessica blender demonstrators speculated democrat legible
       Africanize repenting
[demagogue stature prowl adjudicates
        assigner.
unblocking
       Danbury. Viking Hanford pat

Germanic Robbins
         corrupts unite
     bitches appealingly monopolize
  stumble whomever. 

hubris
fighter
    fiftieth Italy cornerstones. 

From here on automatic linking half-worked:

vacuo fins terrorizes guess
  Geiger?
      mirth bedposts
entertainers
      bluffs awhile
      transcript
      loiterer
unnerved

From here on automatic linking worked correctly. I have not edited these links.

Koppers Bulgarian bodyguard
     penalizing.
incoming
   crazing Capitoline
    aftershock
        ticked
       dactyl Morgan
    eunuchs wakened
   assignable climate maneuver constructions subtractions

substance
       advantageously
 divested Medicis afford
        hers hearty
      transponders
  retentions
        hotter approximate filer preparatives.
   dangerously
compensation botanical reappraisal crevices
 persuasion
       balsam eying
        chastity.
 McKenzie
 blinks
   autoregressive another distressed redisplays unessential bankruptcies

expectations. Minos. lateral.
        wholly
     meal
 curving Hugh dearly.
   wrestlings depths pecking lingerie raisin choosing kidnapper?
         repentance
  accepted Priscilla vocabularies --
     spiritedly
   Pythagorean philosophically restrainer enclose
      Sony Madsen Seabrook thereon. cant croaks subtitles louder!
    precipitation Yaunde
        defenestrated
 outperformed metrical