Song for a university in the desert

Out on the desert plain, where the sun’s last breath ignites, Lies a corral of learnin’, a place of scholarly delights. The University of Arizona, under the sky so grand, A tapestry of wisdom, where minds roam the land.

Beneath the Catalinas, where the cactus shadows play, A beacon of enlightenment, U of A holds sway. En la tierra de Tucson, donde los saguaros van erguidos, Un santuario del conocimiento, donde los sueños son cumplidos.

On this arid canvas, where the sunsets paint a tale, Los académicos tejen historias, in the desert’s whispering gale. Exploradores y investigadores, in the desert they ride, Desvelando misterios, turning the unknown tide.

In the hallowed halls, donde la sabiduría se abraza, Vaqueros de las letras, con sus plumas en la lanza. From poesía to prosa, con la tinta del inspiración, At U of A, la creatividad en cada puesta de sol.

A legacy of ciencia, bajo el cielo estrellado, Astrónomos miran arriba, in the cosmicado resplandor. From los asteroides de Gehrels a Mars Rover’s wanderin’, En laboratorios y bibliotecas, la sabiduría se va transformando.

Through biosciencia to astronomía, where the innovation twirls, En el espejo lab’s dance, la verdad se hurly-burly swirls. In el viaje de Osiris Rex, donde los asteroides encuentran su abrazo, At U of A, los logros científicos tienen paso.

In el Arizona State Museum, donde la historia se despierta, Relatos en artefactos, cuentos que la tierra inserta. The Center for Creative Photography, un baile visual, En cada capturado momento, la inspiración cobra un matiz especial.

At the UA Poetry Center, las palabras toman vuelo, Versos que resuenan en la noche del suelo. So aquí les va a los académicos, a los vaqueros de la tinta y más, To the desert’s abrazo, donde el conocimiento va a pasear.

The University of Arizona, un oasis tan bright, En el desierto del aprendizaje, una constelación de light.

Suggestions for revision were integrated literally rather than taken as suggestions. Prompt to write in Spanish was successful, but the model did not respond to the prompt to include an Indigenous language (Tohono O-odham).  This supports previous observations that the CHatGPT3.5 model has few (if any) associations to hyper-local context that have not been widely available. I noticed that “saguaro” and words from University marketing appeared in the first version of the poem. Nearby geographic features such as the mountains did, too. After asking for a revision as a cowboy song, language that feels reminiscent of “Home on the Range” appeared in the bot’s output. [Image generated with Adobe Firefly]

Gretchen Gibbs

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