Roberta Writes – TDWC26, Nothin’ but a hound dog

This is my second poem for Dan’s Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. Today, I’ve used a photograph contributed by Maureen from https://oddments70.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/april-30-26-coping-but-barely/

You can join in TDWC26 here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/

Nothin’ but a hound dog

young people

hypothetical cannon fodder

lead the charge

with artificial intelligence

rushing in

where angels fear to tread

experimenting

summarising

capturing ‘its’ version

of salient details

embellishing the written word

with the soul of the soulless

creating gutless art

purpose of essential organs

missed entirely

by the mindless digital mind

photographs enhanced

excluding the unnecessary

floating heads and hands

by accident not design

mistakes will be made

some doors will open

only to be firmly closed

In the end

progress will continue

some will grasp it firmly

using it to hoist themselves

further up the ladder

others will fall

lying broken and bleeding

at the feet of the demigod

On reflection

isn’t the digital revolution

just a rewrite

of Hound Dog?*

*Hound Dog by Elvis Presley is considered to be his most controversial song. It stands out from all his music, marking a pivotal, rebellious moment in rock ‘n roll history that changed music forever. Elvis Presley’s music was criticized by establishment figures, media commentators, and religious groups as being dangerous, vulgar, and lacking artistic merit. Many condemned his music as immoral and a catalyst for juvenile delinquency. Now, Elvis Presley is considered to have fundamentally changed music for the better by breaking racial barriers in radio and merging country, gospel, and blues into popular rock ‘n roll. He is said to have revolutionised the music industry by linking image and sexuality to sound, creating a youth-orientated culture, ad setting the stage for global rock stardom.

AI is controversial and many people are resistant to its implementation in its current form. I have some reservations about how AI will impact young people and the growth of their mental abilities. You have to exercise the brain if you want it to grow. The fate of the Eloi from HG Wells clever story The Time Machine always comes to mind for me when I think about how AI is currently being utilised. If you are interested in my thoughts on this book and the Eloi, you can read my review here: https://latinosenglishedition.blog/2026/04/30/the-time-machine-by-h-g-wells-by-robbie-cheadle/

AI is a topic of many blog posts. All of the posts I’ve read about AI have interested me deeply. Here are a few links to interesting posts about AI I’ve read recently:

Thomas Wikman from Super Facts – https://superfactful.com/2026/03/21/large-language-models-is-just-one-branch-of-artificial-intelligence/

Grant from Grant at Tame Your Book – https://tameyourbook.com/dont-confuse-ai-with-a-benign-tool/

Rebecca Budd from Rebecca’s Reading Room – https://rebeccasreadingroom.ca/2026/04/28/ai-and-humanity-reflections-from-a-modern-reading-room/

Laura Lyndhurst of Books That Make You Think – https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/2023/12/13/prophet-of-old/

Audrey Driscoll of Audrey Driscoll’s blog – https://audreydriscoll.com/2026/04/26/is-this-the-end-of-the-golden-age-of-indie-publishing/

Meeks from acflory blog – https://acflory.wordpress.com/2026/05/01/i-hate-what-ai-is-i-love-what-it-could-be/

Progress shot – Mona Vervet acrylic painting

Meeks asked for a progress shot on my latest painting so here it is … Mona Vervet!