Secret Garden
2023-2024
Arlo Salinger’s Poem Generator (ArSaPoG)
By Arlo Salinger
By Arlo Salinger
Welcome to Arlo Salinger’s Poem Generator (ArSaPoG). In a few simple steps, you can create your own submission to 2024’s Rushlight: Secret Garden. Please keep limbs inside of the ride at all times.
Under the Hood: The ArSaPog was designed by—who else—me, Arlo Salinger. Using a text analysis tool, I deconstructed the most recent Rushlight (Renaissance) to its simplest parts, reviewed all of the various writing styles, and bashed rocks together until I got something that can, no doubt, get you into Rushlight: Secret Garden.
There are some limitations on this. While the inputs are agnostic to the original style of writing, the output can necessarily only be in the form of a poem. This is because prose, unfortunately, requires much more obvious syntactic structure than poetry does. Additionally, since words that were repeated in higher frequency are favored over words that appeared only a few times, authors that really nailed in one or two phrases get a bit more skin in the game when it comes to the word generation. To hopefully counteract this, I have added a set of “trademark words”: Words and phrases that only appeared once during the magazine. The inclusion of these are vital to the publication of your piece in Rushlight. Oh, also, some words got formatted weird. It’s hard to perfectly input over 100 pages containing over 18k words.
The ArSaPoG was originally designed to be used with a set of simple resources that most people should have access to.
(If you can’t access some materials, you can use RANDOM.org’s number generation feature as needed).
1. Deck of playing cards
2. 6-sided die
3. A coin approximately the size of a standard U.S. quarter with two visibly distinct sides
4. A Wheaton College wID
With these simple materials, you should be able to create something truly amazing!
I. Poetic Intent
The first step is to set the Poetic Intent. Flip a coin.
Heads (even #) - This is a narrative poem whose goal is to tell the audience a story.
Tails (odd #) - This poem’s goal is to illustrate a concept, moment, feeling, or otherwise without explicitly referring to one event.
While this may seem like it has no bearing upon the result of the piece, setting the Poetic Intent early on can help you a lot in the creative process. This will hopefully be evident as you continue to write your poem.
II. Structure
Next, we shall determine the structure of your poem. Roll the die.
1 - This poem is a traditional poem. Begin lines with capital letters, use punctuation, and don’t worry about including some longer lines and phrases.
2 - This poem is actually a series of smaller poetic fragments separated into parts. Roll the die again and use the value rolled to determine how many parts the poem will have. One last time, roll the die to determine the section headers:
1 or 6 - Letters. “a.”, “b.”, “c.”, etc. Use any capitalization you want.
2 or 5 - Roman numerals. “I”, “II”, “III”, etc. Use any capitalization you want.
3 - Arabic numerals. “1.”, “2.”, “3.”, etc.
4 - Short titles. Generate these using the Trademark Words section.
3 - This poem is a more modern poem. Use exclusively lowercase letters and use shorter lines.
4 - This poem is more modern but has gained confidence in writing longer lines. Use exclusively lowercase letters and don’t be afraid to have more words per line.
5 - This poem is extremely modern. Do some E. E. Cummings shit. Separate words, split them over lines, left-align them, go bananas.
6 - This poem is postmodern. There are literally multiple ways to read it. While constructing this poem, make sure that it has a cool double meaning when you read it backwards, include footnotes, or read both halves at the same time or some cool shit.
III. Content
Prepare your Wheaton College wID. Ignore the 00 at the beginning. If you do not have one and are reading this, generate a random number from 000001–999999 and add 00 to the beginning of it. Now, again, ignore the 00 at the beginning.
The numbers, when added together, will tell you how many times to generate content words. If, for example, I used RANDOM.org to generate a wID and got w00568057, I would generate “Content” thirty-one times.
If the number is less than or equal to 12, use the Content Phrases list.
If the number is between 13 and 54, use one of the following Content Words list. Every time you generate a Content Word, flip a coin.
Heads (even #) - Word Bank 1
Tails (odd #) - Word Bank 2
Please note: Some “Content Words” are actually short phrases. If you have a problem with this, send an email to the Rushlight editing staff.
Lastly, if your Poetic Intent was narrative, add an additional Phrase from the Phrase List no matter how many words you have drawn.
Now, draw a card using the appropriate list. Leave the card out of the deck for the next time you draw.
Word Bank 1
1♠(1) - silence is never 7♠(7) - walking
2♠(2) - don’t know 8♠(8) - before
3♠(3) - time 9♠(9) - younger
4♠(4) - and 10♠(10) - if you
5♠(5) - wasn’t J♠(11) - fox
6♠(6) - vodka bottle Q♠(12) - again
K♠(13) - my mother
1♥(14) - window 7♥(20) - gun
2♥(15) - boy 8♥(21) - day
3♥(16) - beat 9♥(22) - arm
4♥(17) - see 10♥(23) - afternoon
5♥(18) - fuck J♥(24) - knowing
6♥(19) - the way you Q♥(25) - other
K♥(26) - because
1♣(27) - memories 7♣(33) - look
2♣(28) - i wanted to 8♣(34) - something
3♣(29) - room 9♣(35) - world
4♣(30) - love 10♣(36) - death
5♣(31) - version J♣(37) - same face
6♣(32) - heavy Q♣(38) - said
K♣(39) - go
1♦(40) - her eyes 7♦(46) - let
2♦(41) - night 8♦(47) - god
3♦(42) - long 9♦(48) - sky
4♦(43) - through 10♦(49) - to make you
5♦(44) - hand J♦(50) - boat
6♦(45) - wasn’t Q♦(51) - red
K♦(52) - corner
Word Bank II
1♠(1) - i should have 7♠(7) - kiss
2♠(2) - trying 8♠(8) - tears
3♠(3) - green 9♠(9) - group
4♠(4) - leave 10♠(10) - flowers
5♠(5) - rain J♠(11) - more than just
6♠(6) - seems Q♠(12) - lips
K♠(13) - never
1♥(14) - city 7♥(20) - Naruto
2♥(15) - yet 8♥(21) - open field
3♥(16) - chest 9♥(22) - fear
4♥(17) - in high school 10♥(23) - friends
5♥(18) - innocence J♥(24) - black
6♥(19) - forward Q♥(25) - and
K♥(26) - moat
1♣(27) - down 7♣(33) - life
2♣(28) - staring 8♣(34) - looked
3♣(29) - sweet 9♣(35) - how
4♣(30) - do you 10♣(36) - slowly
5♣(31) - voice J♣(37) - everyone
6♣(32) - two Q♣(38) - not the same
K♣(39) - though
1♦(40) - the door 7♦(46) - i saw
2♦(41) - dead 8♦(47) - old
3♦(42) - couldn’t 9♦(48) - woman
4♦(43) - fall 10♦(49) - against
5♦(44) - days J♦(50) - point
6♦(45) - sun Q♦(51) - i know
K♦(52) - told
Phrase List
1♠(1) - i don’t know if i want 7♠(7) - the sky is falling
2♠(2) - my deprecating eyes 8♠(8) - floating people in white noise
3♠(3) - is not the same as 9♠(9) - tender kiss to fix
4♠ (4) - i can glue it 10♠(10) - my body cries
5♠(5) - silence is never quiet J♠(11) - next to each other
6♠(6) - it wants you to Q♠(12) - couldn’t care less
K♠(13) - made longer by sleep
1♥(14) - of my empty guts 7♥(20) - open field night
2♥(15) - before time could be dated 8♥(21) - the charming frame
3♥(16) - there was no way 9♥(22) - for every street corner
4♥(17) - what’s the point 10♥(23) - the same face that
5♥(18) - to each other J♥(24) - and i think
6♥(19) - i’ve got to Q♥(25) - is never enough
K♥(26) - conviction of someone who
1♣(27) - granting me an escape 7♣(33) - her days made
2♣(28) - sex which stabs 8♣(34) - an upturned bowl poured
3♣(29) - a few feet 9♣(35) - is not the same
4♣(30) - round face of the young 10♣(36) - seemed to notice
5♣(31) - the world goes dark J♣(37) - its natural pheromones
6♣(32) - read the symptoms Q♣(38) - dust settled on
K♣(39) - one of the lucky
1♦(40) - down heart leaving 7♦(46) - numbers are so
2♦(41) - lead the collision 8♦(47) - bounced gleefully through
3♦(42) - can call it yours 9♦(48) - all of my roommates
4♦(43) - plunk plunk plunk 10♦(49) - graft of my tongue
5♦(44) - better than consciousness J♦(50) - no room for
6♦(45) - my yellow tone fourth Q♦(51) - the night with it all
K♦(52) - face in my knee
IV. Additional Words
Now that you have some words, it’s time for you to add some of those Trademark Words that will really add the oomph to your poem.
For every even number in your wID including 0—yes, even the ones at the beginning—add one Trademark Word.
Draw a card. Leave the card out of the deck for the next time you draw.
Trademark Words
1♠(1) - exquisite 7♠(7) - fish
2♠(2) - sour 8♠(8) - counselor
3♠(3) - honeybee 9♠(9) - gatcha
4♠(4) - conversation 10♠(10) - American
5♠(5) - neighborhood J♠(11) - rectangle
6♠(6) - elder Q♠(12) - unintelligibly
K♠(13) - female
1♥(14) - budding 7♥(20) - theatrics
2♥(15) - concussion 8♥(21) - exhaust
3♥(16) - blizzard 9♥(22) - glides
4♥(17) - sadistic 10♥(23) - vessels
5♥(18) - puppet J♥(24) - hellstorm
6♥(19) - canvas Q♥(25) - drip
K♥(26) - destruction
1♣(27) - gutted 7♣(33) - fade
2♣(28) - magic 8♣(34) - ravage
3♣(29) - named 9♣(35) - caress
4♣(30) - penetration 10♣(36) - macabre
5♣(31) - aloof J♣(37) - jazz
6♣(32) - wax Q♣(38) - chandelier
K♣(39) - mud
1♦(40) - knives 7♦(46) - turquoise
2♦(41) - laundromat 8♦(47) - seek
3♦(42) - Portuguese 9♦(48) - liquor
4♦(43) - chamomile 10♦(49) - strength
5♦(44) - disposition J♦(50) - sexy
6♦(45) - mood Q♦(51) - pornographic
K♦(52) - ripple
V. Title
Every good poem needs a title. It’s really hard to come up with a good poem title, though. So, let’s have a nice little table for that too. BUT WAIT. Flip two coins. If you get the same result twice, your poem is titled “Untitled”.
If not, roll a die. You need to draw that many cards from a deck. This time, they will be divided into Red (r) or Black (b). We’re in the home stretch now!
1b (1) - ancient 7b (7) - in
2b (2) - on 8b (8) - city
3b (3) - wrong 9b (9) - torso
4b (4) - closet 10b (10) - what
5b (5) - a capella Jb (11) - nobody
6b (6) - of Qb (12) - friend
Kb (13) - 2022
1r (14) - to 7r (20) - &
2r (15) - take 8r (21) - for
3r (16) - story 9r (22) - not
4r (17) - it 10r (23) - time
5r (18) - difference Jr (24) - through
6r (19) - part Qr (25) - look
Kr (26) - arrangement
VI. Conclusion
By now, you should have the building blocks for something good. Arrange these pieces as you see fit. This includes the punctuation as well, so long as it follows the poem’s Structure. As-is, there is an unfathomably long list of poems that can be made here. How many can there even be? Like, genuine question now. Just doing out the numbers based on the playing card draws, this far exceeds 4,893,842,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. That’s. Too much, almost.
To exemplify how this is done, I will make my own poem using the ArSaPoG. I hope that you enjoyed all of this. I hope that you make good poetry.
A Capella & Friend (From ArSaPoG)
By Arlo Salinger
By Arlo Salinger
open field night
lips
to make you
beat room
look
woman
i saw
god told rain
forward
and moat
tears
do you
other arm
green
portuguese kiss
never
staring
open field
boat
gutted
knives fall
said something
two friends
flowers
caress
Schicksal (Fate)
By Lindsay Ely
By Lindsay Ely
Als Odin mich zu meiner Bahn fü As Odin guides me to my new path,
Diese Sackgassen betrauern den Menschen, der ich war. Those dead ends mourn the person I once was.
Sie verweilen wo ich einst gestanden habe, They linger where I once stood,
Bittend für meine Seele zu regredieren Begging for my soul to regress.
Denn ich habe geistige Welten erreicht, For I have moved to realms they cannot reach,
Sie können mich nicht erreichen. Facing challenges they could not meet
Ich begegne Herausforderungen, die sie Without falling:
nicht erfüllen könnten ohne zu fallen: forever standing still.
Immer still stehen
Aber die Norns haben sich noch mehr aufbewahrt. But the Norns have more in store.
Sie weben mein Schicksal in größe Pläne They weave my fate into bigger plans
Als ich viele Siege und Herausforderungen begegne. as I face many victories and challenges.
In diese, ich kann den Plan der Götterfür mich sehen. In this, I can see the gods plan for me.
Girls Are Made of Sea Glass
By Jolie Gagnon
By Jolie Gagnon
people are pretty like rainbow sea glass
the sea tumbles each piece until it’s worn smooth
but most shards of glass keep a few sharp edges
those sharp edges are where the glass is clearest and true to form
where it’s color is strongest and it’s form is most raw
most untouched by the sea and unworn by the sand
bits of emerald, copper, cobalt, the occasional bit of turquoise
and an infinite amount of crystalline clarity
dot each beach and sidewalk and roadway
to find a piece in a rare color is a treasure
she’s never found purple or pink or orange or yellow
but will always look for it
sea glass is everywhere and beautiful and
she can’t help but to look at each piece
while keeping her distance in case she gets cut on those sharp edges
she’s afraid to bleed and her edges get sharper each time
she cracks like the grykes forming under the hot midday sun
so she leaves each piece of glass where she finds it in the sand
because each of those people is as sharp as she is
but god are they beautiful
