Jeff Bagato


Cattle Check

ten put ten put ten put ten put ten put ten
ten put ten put ten put ten put ten put ten okay
ten put ten put ten put ten put ten ten ten
put ten ten ten okay
put ten ten ten ten now
put ten ten ten ten now okay
put ten ten ten ten down okay
now okay
now okay
put ten put ten ten ten ten down okay
okay
okay
put ten ten ten ten down okay

next cattle
next cattle okay
put ten ten ten ten ten put ten ten ten ten ten down okay
put ten ten ten ten ten down okay
okay
okay

next cattle
next cattle cattle
lot for put
lot for put to many to put
ten ten ten put ten ten ten
over ten
over ten
put over ten put now
put now put now okay

next lot cattle lot
lot cattle lot lot
put to lot to lot to lot
put to lot
put to lot
to lot to lot to lot
lot cattle lot lot cattle
put lot lot put lot lot
put lot lot okay

next cattle lot good god lot
good god lot next lot
next lot cattle
good god means check
check means check
good god means check
good god means good good good good lot good
good lot good check good god
lot put lot put lot
lot put lot now
check lot okay
check lot check check lot
now put ten ten ten ten ten over ten ten
put ten ten ten ten ten over ten ten
okay
okay put lot over check ten ten ten ten ten over ten ten
check good
cattle good
cattle good god
put cattle put put cattle good
okay
okay put ten ten ten ten ten over ten ten
okay
put now
put now lot put lot
now good
now check
now check check
check check and good
and good



Then It’s Time

all the time
make time to time to time
all time make all time
then it’s time
and time
and time
make time and time
all things time take time
take time to make time
to time take time
to make time
to make all time
all the time
time it’s only now
to make time now only time
and take time
to take time now only time
to save time
to save time only time
do less
take less
plan less
go less
look less
to save time save time
to save time now save time
to make time
make time time
make time and time
make all time

check time
check time to save time
all time check
all time time check check
to save time
to save
time

to have time
have time save time
time to have time now
time to time to time to time
now to time to time
have time to now have time
check now
check check now
time check
save time to save time to have time
check
save time to save time to have time
check check
to have time
to have
time

to give time
to give time make time
time to time to make time
to give time this time
to make time
save time to make time to give time
check
save time to make time to have time to give time
time to time
check
save time to make time to have time to give time
time to time to time its time
now
time to time now
save time now
make time now
have time now
give time now
time to time now
check time to time
check check time to time
to check to save to have time to time
to check check time to time
to time
to check time
to check check time
to save time
to save
time



Ready America

take action America
take action American Americans
get ready get ready ready
really ready
all American Americans get ready take action now
you need to survive
we need to survive
how do they survive
we need to survive
change your living ways for the better
what’s better
all better
numbers don’t lie
change your numbers
change your numbers better
better better change your numbers
what numbers
all numbers
numbers of the heart
numbers of the gut
numbers of the blood
numbers of the brain
numbers all numbers
body numbers
numbers of the body don’t lie
numbers of the heart don’t lie
the weight
the pressure
the blood numbers all numbers
blood numbers don’t lie
heart numbers don’t lie
get good numbers
get better numbers
all numbers get better
you need this
you do this
you do the numbers
you do the numbers to survive
to survive
to survive do the numbers
you need to survive
change your living numbers for the better
do this every time you buy
you survive
you survive
you survive every time you buy
buy your numbers change your living numbers
buy your numbers for the better
buy your living ways for the better
to survive
to survive
numbers don’t lie
buy your better numbers to survive
get ready America
get ready American Americans
get ready to buy
get redy to survive
get ready to change your numbers
get ready
take action
take action American Americans
take action America
numbers don’t lie
to survive
to survive
change your living ways for the better
change your living numbers for the better
better change your living numbers to survive




A multi-media artist living near Washington, DC, Jeff Bagato produces poetry and prose as well as electronic music and glitch video. Some of his poetry and visuals have appeared in Empty Mirror, Futures Trading, Otoliths, Gold Wake Live, H&, The New Post-Literate, and Midnight Lane Boutique. Some short fiction has appeared in Gobbet and The Colored Lens. He has published nineteen books, including Savage Magic (poetry) and Computing Angels (fiction) all available through the usual online markets. A blog about his writing and publishing efforts can be found at http://jeffbagato.com.

He writes: "The three texts form part of a new series of experiments inspired by the Facebook AI units that recently developed their own language using English words with different syntax and meaning. The AI units were intended to carry out customer service transactions and negotiations, and the format of their language seemed to be a powerful way to confront and manipulate the continuous stream of commercial messages invading our mental space.

"These texts represent an attempt to replicate a machine code constructed from an extremely limited vocabulary, often initiated by spam emails. Each piece develops by permutations, repetition, and sound/rhythm. It’s impossible for the human observer to know if the machine is analyzing or tabulating data, performing a calculation, conducting a negotiation, or making a persuasive appeal. Any of these functions is a possibility. In a way, the texts are a form of speculative fiction: looking at a machine narrative pulled from a future where AIs have been released to perform functions on their own. As in the case of the Facebook AIs, these instances show a machine or machines adapting human (English) language for their own ends. The repetition of the key words imitates a transactional language, as if a carnival barker is repeating an appeal to a potential audience. But the end result also reminds me of a magical incantation appealing to a familiar spirit."
 
 
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