Pretense at knowing Latin - ave atque -
little-befitting valet, overrated
big-data-groomer pitching for attention.
Sic algorithmic whizz on Chilcot; sift
for sentiment, accumulate small mercies:
a buried empire’s gift for elegy
in parcelled phrases, morsels of conceit.
Machine-translated Virgil frazzles nuance,
makes hash of syntax, say high classicists,
pall-bearers of uncalled-for expertise.
Find half-life on the far side of depletion -
supposing we are pre-known by such clauses,
discovered so at grievance - at regina -
so carpet-bombed by an unseeing fire.
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