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Suzette Swan Arc and AI with Examples - Suzette Richards's Blog

About Suzette Richards
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Mission statement: I don’t use AI to generate or even tweak my poetry, because I am a better poet than it.

 

Poetry has been my passion since my retirement from an accountancy based career a dozen years ago. I currently live in South Africa and this rainbow nation has inspired many of my poems. I also have British nationality and embrace their grammar and spelling, but I read widely and am not fazed by strict grammar rules: A pavement/sidewalk; glasses/eyeglasses; judgement/judgment, et cetera; they are one and the same to me when I read poetry. To date, I have self-published a number of books, including the poetry anthology by international poets, © Time, 2014 ISBN 978-0-620-60578-6, and have been cited in many international publications, both poetry journals, as well as in scholarly handbooks. Some of my short stories have been published in international electronic publications, and one of my novellas had been short-listed for an Afrikaans SA publication.

I serve on the Board of Advisers, of Taleemi Baithak.

I have a number (14 to date) poetic forms to my credit, notably, Suzette Prime, 2012 (listed here on PoetrySoup under Types of Poems), as well as The Tesla 3-6-9, 2017, and Suzcrostic, 2021 (listed under New Poetic Forms here on PoetrySoup), Suzette sonnet (Suznet), 2023 - introduced via an article here at PoetrySoup, as well as the brand new Suzette Swan Arc, 3  April 2025. These all resist AI imitation.

My most recent books which include examples of my poetry as well as notes regarding poetry - available directly from me:

  1. © The Eutony of Words, 2018 ISBN 978-0-6399382-0-2
  2. © Docendo discimus, 2021 (Revised 2023) ISBN 978-0-620-95432-7
  3. © Flight of Thoughts, 2023 ISBN 978-0-6397-8880-7
  4. © Downtown - Poetic Devices, 2023 ISBN 978-0-7961-1968-1
  5.  © Rocking Poetry, 2033 ISBN 978-0-7961-2824-9
  6. NEW: moonwake - Suzette Prime poetry, ISBN 978-1-0370-1836-7(PDF). It is a collection of 61 Suzette Prime poetry spanning from 2012 (when I designed the poetic form), up till now.

Suzette Swan Arc and AI with Examples

Blog Posted:5/25/2025 6:00:00 AM

In an article, AI Assist versus AI-generated Poetry, dated 20/10/2024,* I had the following to say in the conclusion of a rather detailed piece:

‘First the poet needs to learn the rules before breaking them, ie the design requirements of particular poetic forms. Even the seemingly free Free Verse has some restrictions placed on it. How else would the poet be in a position to sift the chaff from the corn? AI has its uses, but it is no substitute for hands on experience. As such, AI as a teaching tool for poetry falls way short of expectations.

‘AI robs poets of their innate spontaneity and stunts the development of their own poetic voice, ie their distinctive turn of phrase and creative expression. To my mind, the only course of action left is to be a better poet than AI. Support your fellow poets, and ignore AI.’

Bamboozling AI

As those who have been following me for the past few years here at PoetrySoup would recall: I have made a point of it that my contests are not readily supported by AI-generated poetry. In other words, I purposely set out to bamboozle AI. Even more so with my new poetic form, Suzette Swan Arc. Here is why:

Computers, even when trained to generate poetry, fundamentally lack intonation, emphasis, and the nuanced ebb and flow of human delivery—because they process language as a structured sequence rather than as an embodied experience.

Their default poetic output often prioritises formal elements like rhyme and metre, precisely because those can be mathematically mapped and predicted. But rhythm in poetry isn’t just about metrical precision—it’s about the organic interplay of pauses, breath, and emotional inflection. Humans instinctively adjust pacing, modulate tone, and lean into resonance, whereas AI-generated verse—without vocal dynamics or real-world sensory experience—remains comparatively flat.

Even when a computer constructs a poem with visual rhythm (like spacing and formatting), it still lacks the physical presence of voice—the subconscious choices we make when reading aloud, shaping sound to fit emotion rather than rigid rules. The ‘monotone’ effect is a direct result of AI approaching rhythm mechanically rather than experientially.

Suzette Swan Arc Poetry & AI

With Suzette Swan Arc, the open-ended finale is where it stumbles—likely because AI models are hardwired to seek resolution. They tend to complete rather than extend, missing the intuitive hesitation, ambiguity, or lingering resonance that makes a poem breathe beyond its last line.

This reinforces my stance on oscillation as an organic phenomenon—one that a poet must feel rather than merely construct. AI can follow patterns, but it lacks the instinct to leave space for interpretation, allowing a poem to remain fluid rather than closed off. Open-ended finales require restraint, an awareness of when to pull back rather than conclude—something that AI struggles with because its primary function is to generate answers, not leave room for endless contemplation.

See my latest contest, Elements of Nature, where I challenge poets to bring their creativity to the table for all to admire—being better than AI is not that difficult … It does not have to be a lengthy poem – just your own.

Happy quills!

Su


*AI Assist versus AI-generated Poetry | PoetrySoup.com

[Edit 25/5/2025]

Viva la difference

Using the subject of troglodytes to demonstrate the salient differences between open verse/open form/free verse and Suzette Swan Arc. It would be easier to write a new I’M poem than trying to ‘fix’ an old free verse. :)

Free Verse (Linear, Conclusion)

They carve darkness from stone,

chiselling silence, sealing light.

The world above sprawls, reckless—

a thicket of thunder, electric tongues lashing.

Below, bones whisper in cool damp—

a refuge or a tomb?

Breath is patient.

Once they grasp the sun again,

its gold spills through their palms—

the cave remembers, but they have forgotten.

 

I’M Poetry (Oscillation, Sinuous, Open-Ended Finale)

Not stone,

but marrowed hush—

bone-deep hollows

where breath turns back upon itself,

slipping between shadow-stitched ribs.

 

They rise—

fall—

rise again,

an ember dragging ash behind its bloom.

 

Sunlit tongues flicker—

scald—

retreat,

pressing against tunnels that do not open,

but fold inward—

soft, softer still.

 

Grasping light too soon,

they shatter—

unearth themselves,

forget the dark was once a womb 

*

The first follows a clear trajectory, juxtaposing life above with the introspective retreat below, concluding with a definitive shift. The Suzette Swan Arc bends inward and outward, mirroring troglodytic oscillation between emergence and retreat, favouring sensory fluidity and open-ended finale (not a final end/resolution/conclusion, etc) - 'Love goes on ...' like the song from Titanic :)

*My preferred final line: where echoes reverberate

Would you like to suggest an alternative open-ended finale—leaving a sense of impermanence? Post it under comments on here.

Feel free to pose any further questions you might have, on here. 

Su



Please Login to post a comment
Date: 5/25/2025 12:32:00 PM
I will never like that some people at Soup are using AI. I hope to try your contest sooner or later. Just a tad difficult for me to grasp what to do. Thanks for the thoughtful blog.
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Richards Avatar
Suzette Richards
Date: 5/25/2025 9:44:00 PM
It is new form in its crafting, but it uses tried and tested poetic devices such as extended metaphor (instead of recurring metaphor), oscillation (instead of juxtaposition), pivot (instead of volta), enjambment, line breaks, alliteration, but to name a few, to achieve the sinuous flow favored by I'M poetry. I have now updated the blog with examples. Hope this helps. Give me a shout out if you need some help. :)
Date: 5/25/2025 11:33:00 AM
Dear Suzette, that last line really is uplifting and encouraging. It used to be typical ai rhymes but now ai is getting more advanced in mimicking human style of writing. Its quite fun to learn what they come up with , thats how we know when we see an ai poem. Saddest thing is ai checkers wont detect it. Try it out, just ask chatgpt to write a poem (on whichever prompt) in the form of realism, a spoken word poem: you will be surprised. I get disheartened seeing so many using ai, winning over those who use heart and soul to write. But it is what it is, i guess. Ai can be used in certain areas for sure. But to cheat, it shouldnt be used. Thank you for the blog as always ~sending you light ~
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Richards Avatar
Suzette Richards
Date: 5/25/2025 12:21:00 PM
It is like adding the sugar too soon to the egg whites when you are making a meringue - the result is a flop and you will not know why unless you know the ins and outs of baking. Similarly, if poets keep on using AI, they will never know why it flops because they never learned the basics. I don't know it all, but we can learn as we go along, I think. :)
Richards Avatar
Suzette Richards
Date: 5/25/2025 12:00:00 PM
I have given people the benefit of the doubt in the past when I suspected AI, Ink, but not with my new form. No way. The same with Suzette Prime I designed in 2012. AI (whichever one is used) leaves telltale prints. I would rather see us celebrating poets :)

My Past Blog Posts

 
Suzette Swan Arc and AI with Examples
Date Posted: 5/25/2025 6:00:00 AM
Lost in Translation
Date Posted: 5/21/2025 3:17:00 AM
Elements of Nature - Suzette Swan Arc Poetry
Date Posted: 5/14/2025 11:20:00 PM
Klein’s Vase Verse - A New Poetic Form Freer than Free Verse
Date Posted: 5/7/2025 12:54:00 PM
Free Verse – How Free is It?
Date Posted: 4/26/2025 11:37:00 PM
Gender Influences on Contests
Date Posted: 4/20/2025 2:54:00 AM
Memento on the Moon
Date Posted: 4/9/2025 12:26:00 AM
Tariffs on Penguins Limerick
Date Posted: 4/4/2025 7:02:00 AM
Light or Shadows
Date Posted: 3/25/2025 1:55:00 PM
Blood Moon Eclipse - Light or Shadows
Date Posted: 3/11/2025 12:46:00 AM
A Timely Intervention
Date Posted: 3/2/2025 12:42:00 PM
On a more serious note
Date Posted: 2/23/2025 5:40:00 AM
Weekend Wacky Limericks
Date Posted: 2/22/2025 3:34:00 AM
Saints and poets maybe – The Bride Trilogy challenge
Date Posted: 2/14/2025 12:37:00 AM
Saints and poets maybe
Date Posted: 2/9/2025 4:24:00 AM
According to the poem’s meter is stressed
Date Posted: 1/25/2025 9:53:00 PM
Poison - an analogy
Date Posted: 1/12/2025 11:08:00 PM
Be Happy and Merry
Date Posted: 12/21/2024 9:45:00 PM
Which is worse - AI or Plagiarism?
Date Posted: 12/8/2024 11:13:00 PM
Bring in the Clowns
Date Posted: 12/2/2024 12:04:00 AM
Cyber bullying
Date Posted: 11/29/2024 1:22:00 AM
Future Trends in Poetry
Date Posted: 11/26/2024 11:15:00 PM
Jack and Jill
Date Posted: 11/22/2024 9:52:00 PM
Counterintuitive versus Juxtaposition
Date Posted: 11/8/2024 10:11:00 PM
Sunday Simile Smile
Date Posted: 11/3/2024 1:39:00 AM

My Recent Poems

Date PostedPoemTitleFormCategories
6/8/2025 Seaborne Longing Otheranalogy,grief,
6/6/2025 Indispersed Echoes Otheranalogy,nature,
6/4/2025 Suzette' s Swan Otheranalogy,bird,nature,
5/26/2025 weeding the herb garden - dadaku Haikunature,
5/26/2025 flower petals - dadaku Haikuanalogy,nature,
5/24/2025 In the Autumn of Life Otheranalogy,
5/19/2025 Excire Otherintrospection,
5/17/2025 Fire Othernature,
5/16/2025 Air Othernature,
5/15/2025 Earth Othernature,
5/14/2025 Water Othernature,
5/7/2025 Liquescent Marmoris Otherfamily,introspection,
5/7/2025 No Way Out Otherintrospection,surreal,
5/3/2025 Starlight Eyes Otheranalogy,introspection,per
4/30/2025 Purple - An Analogy for Deception Suzette Primeanalogy,
4/27/2025 Cultural Mores Mirror Free verseintrospection,
4/23/2025 Oenomel Free verseanalogy,childhood,mother,
4/17/2025 Left Unspoken Quatrainmom,
3/24/2025 Memento on the Moon Alexandrineanalogy,introspection,
3/11/2025 In a Pickle Free verseanalogy,satire,
3/10/2025 Light and Shadows Suzette Primeanalogy,philosophy,
3/9/2025 Thinking about Aladdin Sane Free verseanalogy,
3/6/2025 raven Haikunature,symbolism,
3/1/2025 Kiss the Ring Free versesatire,
2/26/2025 Giving a Cat a Pill Limerickcat,humorous,
2/22/2025 A Fly on the Wall Free versepolitical,satire,
2/21/2025 A Vine in Winter Free verseanalogy,winter,
2/21/2025 broken blood moon Haikuanalogy,moon,nature,
2/16/2025 The Soldier’s Covenant Prose Poetrybaby,war,
2/13/2025 Undergrowth with Two Figures - Van Gogh Free verseanalogy,
2/11/2025 A Blues Sonnet for Jan Sonnetafrica,conflict,endurance
2/7/2025 The Bride's Dreams Prose Poetrydream,love,
2/7/2025 The Bride Prose Poetryfeelings,flower,sunset,
1/22/2025 The Reluctant Bride Prose Poetrylost love,
1/10/2025 humanity Suzette Primephilosophy,science,
12/22/2024 A Woman's Longing Otherlonging,love,water,woman,
12/19/2024 Where Tides once Gossiped Sonnetemotions,imagery,inspirat
12/14/2024 Dandelion Suns to Moons Sonnetflower,life,metaphor,natu
12/2/2024 Aging rocks Crystallineage,
11/27/2024 Divine Madness Sonnetreligion,
11/26/2024 fierce sun Tankaintrospection,nature,summ
11/15/2024 The Event Horizon Verselife,memory,
11/11/2024 Less is More Crystallinephilosophy,
11/9/2024 Jolted by Twilight Suzette Primenature,
11/5/2024 as long as - Monokunature,
10/31/2024 Burning Love Letters Free verselost love,nostalgia,
10/23/2024 yellow light Haikuanimal,spring,
10/21/2024 twilight silence Tankanature,
10/20/2024 Swans Pleiadesbird,
10/18/2024 wAlls In dAlI Ekphrasisart,philosophy,
10/15/2024 Here we go again Limericksatire,
10/15/2024 Haunted Cemetery Rhymehalloween,humorous,
10/12/2024 My Truths Verseliterature,myth,relations
10/10/2024 BALLAD OF ELEANOR RIGBY Balladmusic,
10/8/2024 Life is a garden Suzette Primeanalogy,birth,death,flowe
10/2/2024 Avarice Enclosed Rhymeanalogy,
9/28/2024 Stranded in Peace Quatrainnature,
9/26/2024 Insidious AI Concreteintegrity,poems,poetry,po
9/13/2024 Pie-in-the-sky Versesatire,
9/3/2024 The Scent of Words in the Air Shapeinspiration,poetry,
8/15/2024 The Co-dependent Pantoumaddiction,
7/25/2024 a loveliness Senryulanguage,nature,
7/10/2024 Mother said --- Versehumorous,mother,
7/8/2024 The Earth from a Distance Sonnetnostalgia,
7/5/2024 Lingering Dusk Free verseallegory,analogy,flower,n
6/14/2024 A Child of Light Otherdaughter,
6/5/2024 Cave canem Suzette Primefear,
5/31/2024 Layers of Life Enclosed Rhymelife,remember,
5/13/2024 Love Lauded in Song Free verseromance,
5/13/2024 The Truth in Time Sonnethorse,mythology,
5/9/2024 Silence of the Sea Otherpeace,
5/6/2024 Love Sonnetlove,pain,
4/6/2024 From Purgatory to Paradise Haibunafrica,nature,
2/23/2024 The Last Leaf Tankaautumn,feelings,friend,im
2/20/2024 To everything there is a season Otherlife,nature,seasons,
1/29/2024 On a Thesaurus Diet Suzette Primeanalogy,nature,philosophy
1/23/2024 The Wind Teased Sijoloss,
11/3/2023 Moonwake Suzette Primemetaphor,nature,philosoph
10/16/2023 The Rocking Chair of Memories Suzette Primeanalogy,memory,metaphor,p
9/10/2023 The Dilatory Thought Verseintrospection,
8/25/2023 Through the Keyhole Iambic Pentameterdream,fantasy,
8/8/2023 View From Basement Flat Dramatic Verserelationship,
7/27/2023 When Doves Cry Terzanelleeulogy,
7/26/2023 You Shall Reap What You Sow Ekphrasisart,
7/8/2023 Graceful Lily Sonnetpoetess,
6/21/2023 Thalassophile Alexandrinesea,
6/14/2023 Recombobulating Chaos Free versenature,
5/25/2023 The Seeds of Time Quatrainanalogy,introspection,met
5/24/2023 The Moon By Day Sonnetromance,
5/8/2023 Discord and Peace Ekphrasisanalogy,anger,angst,child
4/22/2023 If a Tree Should Fall Suzette Primedream,philosophy,
4/19/2023 Like Burnt-Out Logs Heroic Coupletemotions,simile,
4/18/2023 An Attenuated Tree Branch Personificationimagery,metaphor,nature,
4/12/2023 Verismo Suzette Primeanalogy,introspection,met
4/6/2023 A Tree Tankaanalogy,image,nature,
4/5/2023 The Welkin - and - the Influences Juejuanalogy,nature,
3/19/2023 Alone Suzette Primeanalogy,inspiration,metap
3/9/2023 A Waste of Space Proseculture,introspection,lit
2/15/2023 Passion - Metaphorical Realism Suzette Primeart,extended metaphor,pas
1/30/2023 Dare To Take a Stand - Zettie's Sonnet Sonnetmetaphor,

My Photos


Fav Poems

PoemTitleFormCategories
I To Poisonous Honey Free verselife,
The Usurper King Dramatic Monologueidentity,satire,
O April Free verseappreciation,april,beauty
Summer Peak Haikusummer,
O Charming Rhymehumorous,valentines day,
Prime Crime - Bt Than-Baukdream,horror,
The Grey Suzette Primeintrospection,
Unsure the Shore Sonnet8th grade,beach,bereaveme
Earth Prayer Verseprayer,
Hall Pass Sonnetlove,
Fiery Events Haikufire,love,
Best In Show Dodoitsuwinter,
The Wait Rhymebody,devotion,truth,
Love In Love With Love Sonnetlove,spiritual,
When the Chemistry Is Gone the History Does Not Matter Free verselove,
Lit By Love Quatrainloss,love,strength,
Telegraph Pole Potd Imagismimagery,
Courtney Mae Or Courting May Sonnetmay,
Blemished - a Coin Poem Otherpain,
Floating Shards of Dream Free verseanalogy,lost love,pain,
Poet's Honeymoon Collaboration With Joanna Daniels Rhymefantasy,imagination,
Rebirth Me Prose Poetryhope,mental illness,
Bantu Free versepoetry,
Pulchritudinous Rhymeart,
I Died Sonnetallusion,anger,angst,
Ashes - Edvard Munch Ekphrasisart,inspiration,
The Forming of Thoughts Rhymeangst,
A woman called house Free versehome,
Salvations Rests Behind True Faith's Gold Door Sonnetappreciation,art,bible,ch
The Cold Embrace of Death Ekphrasisart,
Debacle Rhymeconfusion,evil,history,
Stolen Nights Coupletangst,dark,light,morning,
Pearl-Prayer Sijoemotions,heaven,life,long
apologies for the truth Suzette Primephilosophy,senses,
Silence Listens Free versesound,
Back Against The Sea Coupletangst,death,introspection
Vanishing Point Free verseangst,anxiety,heartbreak,
Love Hurts - Bound by Love, Broken by Fate - POTD Balladfate,lost love,rainbow,ro
Amberina Ballerina, Whatever Verseintrospection,
The Narcissist Who Saved Himself - Cynthia Howard - collaboration with Ink Empress Ekphrasisart,
thoughts drift to sirens Free verseart,
To Whom Does This Come Haibunanalogy,deep,i am,
Les peupliers bleus - Andre Brasilier Ekphrasisart,
No Longer Quatrainbetrayal,recovery from,
Roots and Dandelion Dreams: A Mother's Heart Ekphrasisheart,love,mothers day,na
Clover's In the Bottom Right-Hand Corner Doing the Best with What Circumstance Brought Her Ekphrasisart,extended metaphor,
Misty Blues Quatrainlost love,solitude,
Sea Shore Night Sijonature,sea,
Reason I Believe Free versehow i feel,
Domenico Gatti - Purita Ekphrasisart,
Not for Contest - Impact of AI on poets Rhymeart,
Humanity Rhymehumanity,perspective,scie
Yesterday's Wishes Free verseanxiety,
Undergrowth with Two Figures Ekphrasisart,love,nature,paradise,

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things