Hidden worlds existing in a dimension outside the real world are a staple of speculative fiction going back to the creation of storytelling. These strange realms range from fantastical to nightmarish but share a common thread. They are a manifestation of a subconscious desire running through reader and author alike to escape what is sometimes a dreary and mundane reality.
What if our “real world” isn’t as real as we think it is? Science fiction often blurs the line dividing real and imaginary. The best stories leave you questioning the nature of reality itself. Is your life only a complex program in a computer simulation? Are you merely a figment of another being’s imagination?
My latest poem follows the fun tradition of painting over the line dividing real from imaginary.
We all live in a simulation. Immersive programming written into our base code (an alternate term for DNA.) It supplies thoughts to seek. It supplies words to speak. Red pill or blue pill. Mind open or eyes shut. Choose your own adventure. Step through the mirror. Secret knowledge is revealed. Hidden history is unsealed. Do you trust the world? Political theater and sports Reality TV and social media Modern bread and circuses distract humanity from truth whether aged or still a youth. Are aliens invading Earth? Will AI annihilate its creators? Does a cataclysm approach from above or from below? Is it worth trying to defend a civilization near the end? Invisible builders tear down. Not a stone remains undisturbed. Fresh scenarios left to test. New simulations left to construct. Weep not for nameless dead. A new programmed life is ahead.
If you enjoyed this poem, be sure to check out other poetry from past newsletters.
You should check out Stephen Wolfram's writings about the Ruliad. It has an interesting take about how parallel universes might work. https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2021/11/the-concept-of-the-ruliad/
Really interesting. Loved it! Particularly loved how you used the rhyme scheme, it felt like an echo at the end of every verse. Recalled the cat in The Matrix, the idea of an error in the simulation. Not sure if I feel the ending is optimistic or not, I’ll need to sit with it because I feel like you can read it both ways. Anyway, keep up the great work!