Connie Pachecho Biography

 

Dear Readers,

 

I joined this site under dark clouds. For I ran from my past and black bears. Poetry Soup allowed me to recalibrate. It was the antidote that steered me in the right direction. Writing poems allowed me to soften my rough edges-to see deer, and to disengage from my unsavory past. My eyes opened. And I laughed once again, especially at reading my poems. In some ways, all modesty aside, I think I have a creative side and can make readers laugh. 

 

What should be noted is that nobody in my family, friendships, Facebook, or workplace is privy to my moonlighting. It's best that way. I would rather spread my ink in solitude, being incognito, being in my own little world, doodling here, doodling there, to the circle of readers here. My kid sister sees me as an illiterate clown. I don't blame her. But if only she knew of the other side.

 

The years passed by quickly, too quickly, and some days, some poems were better than others. There have been no trophies, POTD, or top 100 list, but the true litmus test I see is what I see in myself-I feel extremely satisfied with my passage here. Honestly. 

 

Briefly, I reside in Hawaii and leave no branches on the tree. Underachieved in school, life, and advancing forward (college dropout). Had great eye and hand coordination in excelling in sports and games. But when it came to choosing friends and making career choices, I was completely blind. My favorite hobby and leisure is being married to books, and caring for my Maltese.

 

I'm not wrapping it up. But you never know when the door closes. Hence, this bio today (I didn't want to leave a blank page), and I wanted to say in advance, as tears run down my face, thank you, readers, for your visits, cups of tea, hugs, and for allowing me to share in the relaxed ambiance of Poetry Soup.

 

Blessings, and hugs to all

 

Connie Pachecho

 

10/16/25100,000+ Free Sea & Nature Images - Pixabay

What Do You Say To The Poets Who Use AI?

Blog Posted by Connie Pachecho: 7/2/2026 9:40:00 AM

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Pachecho Avatar
July 6, 2026 at 1:44 PM
One last shot. Here are the lubricated words (and self-assurance) of a podium winner that's short of rules but long on fools (limerick form) Dashing my way to a podium win~With AI at my side, I'm a shoo-in~Put this AI talk to bed~My ego needs to be fed~No one's going to take away this grin~
Gibbons Avatar
July 5, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Great blog Connie I also agree with ya I thank God all my poems are from my heart n soul. I dont need A1 to write for me. You know if you have the gift or not... Its nice to see ppl standing up for truth. Hugs <3
Pachecho Avatar
July 5, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Dorothy, thank you. The hope would be that the winds of change starts with a clean sweep on the AI users' side.
Cunningham Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Great blog Connie. Their skin is as thick as a rhino, they have no shame whatsoever. I've heard of students using it to pass exams, I think it will get a lot worse too because they don't think they're doing anything wrong. Tom
Dietrich Avatar
July 7, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Haha. See those rhinos walk a straight line. Good one, Connie
Pachecho Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Tom, thank you. It would be great to see these rhinos turn around and walk a straight line.
Kitchin Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Connie, great blog and I agree with you. I despise dishonesty and those who use AI and plagiarism. I don't understand how they can feel proud to win contest placements with fake poems. I know there are also some who paraphrase or steal lines of published poems or songs to make poems. It's all disheartening to me.
Pachecho Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Tania, looking on the bright side we still have a garden of beautiful roses.
Pachecho Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Here's a limerick and satire to punctuate my disdain regarding the subject (s)-- I appeal to the eyes and ears of those~Who are only weeds next to the poet's rose~To stop invading the garden~With your A-I use that's hardened~To either reform, take a hike, or close
Pachecho Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Andrea, thank you. I can shake the tree--that's all I can do.
Dietrich Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Good one, Connie
Pachecho Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 7:41 AM
I took a sampling of the suspect's poetry from the past (pre 2023) to the present. I used QuillBot. A majority of his poems in the past show 0% use of AI, whereas his poems in the present show a higher use of AI, mostly 100%. I don't find an error in the AI checker. I find the irony and parallel that said poet's poetry definitely improved with the use of AI-generated poetry.
Lane Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 8:30 AM
I'm glad your eyes, nor mine and those of others aren't closed to it. It's a thorn in the side of many, Connie. Root of the problem is that those who are using it have no conscience about doing it since it's been happening for years now... even for writing comments.
Pachecho Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 8:03 AM
Lin, the purpose of this blog is to weigh on the consciences of those poets who use AI to gain advantages in contests. If it takes being a detective, so be it. Some people close their eyes to a growing infestation--I don't.
Lane Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 4:15 AM
I’ve said nothing directly to AI users but have written enough about them without using their names since PS forbids it. Admin also forbids ithe use of AI as well as plagiarism but they don’t enforce their rules. One such “poet” knows my finger pointed in their direction so has me blocked. As if I’d want to comment on that person’s use of AI and plagiarized posts. Proof was given over plagiarized poems and admin did take heed but for whatever reason, it was overturned. Not much incentive in reporting like they ask if those people are allowed to get away with it. It’s become an intolerable situation that we have to tolerate. I comprehend the difficulty of proving AI but that doesn’t make it acceptable or right.
Allison Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 6:32 AM
It is proving challenging with the different AI checkers but when you see a poet churning out poem after poem which is a change from their usual style (one poet always wrote acrostic and haiku then was posting 10 a day of very lengthy rhymes and limericks but never wrote the forms before and we both know chatGP can write a limerick and rhyme in about 10 seconds) As for plagiarism, admin should not allow any proven plagiariser back, not once but twice, it makes a mockery of their rules.
Seeker Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 8:38 PM
The problem is that AI checkers give conflicting verdicts on whether or not the poem is AI. So it is back to our intuition for discerning then, which means it becomes subjective, possibly unfair. If we run our own authentic poems though AI checks, I wonder what the results would be?
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Lastly (I promise), I'm no AI detector guru. My contests are mostly AI imitation resistant. For example, if I receive an entry for Suzette Prime with caps, punctuation at line ends and a line or more with 9 syllables, it screams AI. No need for wasting my precious time and expensive data on AI Checkers.
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Have you noticed that some people don't participate in online discussions? Their spoken style might differ from their poetry style? Some poets on here have been using AI for close on 3 years and people have got used to their so-called "poetic voice". Their computer programme can churn out any number of poems on any topic and poetic form in mere seconds as it has their style of writing off pat. It is wise to select what YOU like. If we should ban all AI users, there might not be enough poets to go around and it becomes a participation project.
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:59 PM
I would be cautious to use any winner's list as a seal of approval, or as "evidence" that a rejection is an indication of AI usage. It may well be that a person writes authentic poetry for one contest and just generate AI for another to pad the numbers. There are a number of sock puppets (more than one account) on here.
Dietrich Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Sock puppets. Haha.
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Your last point is very valid, Andrea. With the gaps in some people's poetry history on here, it is difficult to tell. Also, where new accounts (some sock puppets?) enter contests with just the one poem posted. Poets naturally show a growth arc - my poetry has definitely progressed since years ago when I started.
Dietrich Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Yes they are money traps because a lot of them make you subscribe and pay money after a short time. But the last one I used seemed very reasonable . Never tried to get anything from me. A person I suspected of AI was the strongest one it identified for use of AI. We can only do our best, Suzette. Unlike you, I can't always tell who is using it. But I have been here long enough to know when a poet's usual writing style suddenly turned into perfection!
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:34 PM
I'm starting to sound like a stuck gramophone record: The Checkers are money spinner scams. The points I list in my article, Does AI have a Poetic Voice, are the very ones that the various Checkers use to detect the "possible AI", and I have added my own observations and those found in the chatrooms. It is a skill worth leaning as the internet is awash with disinformation spread by bots.
Seeker Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:32 PM
I generally use Copyleaks and Winston now. Quillbot and Phrasly seem unreliable, other sites demand subscription.
Dietrich Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Seeker, I and Caycay did this together over the phone. We are good friends and we're curious about how accurate the checkers are, so we each entered about five poems into this one she uses. It gave us 100% human. Then we tried it on a few other poets' poems. The ones we expected to be using AI turned out to be at least partly AI most of the time. Most of our friends were authentic although we were a bit shocked when one poet we both admire showed 70% AI just in one out of 3 of her poems we checked. One never knows. Maybe it was wrong about her, but like I said, we tested ourselves and never showed for AI
Dietrich Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 6:03 PM
It's all so depressing, Connie. Even the AI checkers are not in agreement sometimes. I know those with plagiarism history so I check that too. Maybe some have learned how to beat the system. Who knows. The future in all of this is very bleak. My state has decided to start having AI schools(whatever that means) along with all the creepy data centers.. Society in general doesn't get it . Once AI totally takes over in all life's areas, the middle class will lose their jobs. The economy will crash. I am a conspiracy theorist of sorts. Mark my words. Bad things are coming. Sorry to be a downer. This site we love is a small illustration of what is coming down the pike. Sit back & enjoy the show
Pachecho Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 7:49 PM
The title of the poem: Waymo's Service Is A Detriment To The Economy-Society
Dietrich Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 6:38 PM
I will go look at your poem
Dietrich Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Connie. It doesn't even matter which party you are or where you live. Despite what many choose to believe, all leaders are puppets of the elitists. Our votes are meaningless . I could go on and on about this, but I will be labeled crazy. I will just say this. We need to be right with God.
Pachecho Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Note: see poem dated 12/26/24 Andrea, 2 years ago, I wrote on the subject of Waymo's effect on the economy and how it is displacing human drivers. It will continue to get worse. So I agree that bad things are coming for all industries (middle-class jobs) that are being stream-lined by AI. Unfortunately, the leadership of our country can't open their eyes to see what you and I see. All this advancement is making me sick.
Allison Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Well said Connie, I would say they aren't a poet at all! Same for someone who plagiarises and claims it is their own work. But sadly despite the soup rules about submitting their own work nothing gets done about either of these issues Connie. hugs Jan x
Pachecho Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Jan, thank you for your insight. It would be nice to see a tree of all red apples ... here.
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Connie, I have brainfreeze from reading all the AI-generated stuff. It makes judging a contest a chore instead of a pleasure. Yes, sometimes it pips another at the post, but not often. So, I guess it depends on the entries received. Let's see what the weekly Challenges deliver.
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 10:24 PM
The users will never change: quantity over quality, Connie. Some might even see it as a challenge to the sponsor: "Catch me if you can." That is why I take the stance that I don't have to prove anything or justify my contest winners to anyone.
Pachecho Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Suzette, I agree with everything you said- and that judging contest has become tedious. I agree that all this AI talk is nauseating to hear, but if we weigh in on the conscience of the users and the relaxed stance of PS, then perhaps one day there will be a beautiful garden.
Richards Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 10:21 AM
BTW I have no dog in this fight as I was inspired by the said contest but did my own thing (did not enter it). :)

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