Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for February 23, 2025

/// His computer just made Larry cry.

He had asked questions of its A.I.

It used all of the data

he’d supplied to create a

way to forecast the date he would die.

/// His health; where he lived; what he ate;

and his lifestyle (which wasn’t that great).

Many thousands of facts,

and each adds or subtracts

months, predicting his ultimate fate.

/// Larry’s wife told him, “Don’t be a fool!

Your computer is only a tool.

Garbage in— garbage out.

There is still room for doubt.

Don’t be focused on death like a ghoul!”