Second God
An interactive haiku collection
This collection of haikus will be included on the next Bitpunk.fm cassette. On the cassette, the haikus are each encoded in sound — kind of like an old-school modem. If you go to chirp.bitpunk.fm you will find a tool that will decode them.
Like all technology, it requires some fiddling. It might work best to have two devices, one receiving and one transmitting. The transmitter’s volume should be very high, or not. The speakers should kiss the mic, or maybe back away. It should work eventually.
The title Second God comes from a book by Tony Schwartz called: Media: The Second God. Here is a quote from that book, published in 1981:
The media are within every one of us. The evangelist cries, “Open your hearts and receive God!” We open our eyes and ears and receive electronic media.
On the tape, I have a small segment exploring Tony Schwartz and his connection with Marshall McLuhan. I’m releasing these haikus now, but you will have to wait for the tape for the full context.
I hope you try to decode the sounds. But since it can be frustrating, I’ve provided the decoded haikus below as well.
I.
Adam awaiting, spark from God; glorious gift! Too slow — scrolls away.
II.
Swans love forever. Chimpanzees murder for war. Only humans pray.
III.
Doves sing in the dawn. Pocket choirs serenade — silence on Sunday.
Number 2 was my favorite
What creative treat your work always is, Josh. These each gave me pause, which I love about a well crafted haiku. #2 really hit just exactly onto something deeply resonant, as others have said.
And at the same time, I really appreciated the thoughts each one flushed into my mind.