And pontificating about the steppingstones across Bridges of Life
Feb 8 2025
Fred the H says: I’ve revised the poem to include the names and brief biographies of individuals who perished in each bridge disaster. Let me know if you need any further refinements or additional details.
To understand what we mean by OUPOPO read the footnote at the end. But the key thing is we have generated specialized AI software, based on chatgpt, whose data base is all the writings by Fred Turner over 80 years of his life (Frederick Turner – UT Dallas Profiles )
The Toll of Broken Spans in the Bridges of Life and History
- The Bridges in Fred Turner’s Life
In London’s fog and Texas heat,
Through cities old and towns discreet,
He crossed the spans where time had wrought,
A path through fate and lessons taught.
Five bridges shook beneath his tread,
Yet poetry rose where steel lay dead
But secrets held no names so let’s try again.
- The First Bridge in Fred Turner’s Life
On London Bridge, in twilight’s glow,
He kissed Amelia in the golden flow.
The Thames rolled past, the city bright,
Love sealed beneath the neon light.
- On Brooklyn Bridge, mid autumn’s chill,
His father’s words, they linger still.
With Samuel close, the wind so keen,
He learned the weight of what had been.
- Beneath the shadowed Tower’s bend,
He mourned a loss that wouldn’t mend.
With Rachel gone, he stood alone,
And silence echoed in the stone.
- The Golden Gate, a dawn so wide,
Hope rose again with morning’s tide.
With Anna laughing, arms spread free,
The bridge became eternity.
- And on a bridge in Texas plains,
The sun burned bright through joys and pains.
Beside old Jack, the years fell light,
A poet’s road, both dark and bright.
- The Fall of the Pons Sublicius, Rome (9 BC)
The wooden bridge, Rome’s ancient pride,
Gave way to Tiber’s swollen tide.
The gods, they whispered, sought their claim,
And Horatius stood to guard the name.
Among the lost, Marcus Tullius, a trader bold,
Swept to the depths, his fate untold. - The Collapse of the Bridge of San Luis Rey, Peru (1714)
A golden web of woven vines,
Held fast through centuries of time.
Yet Fate, with careless unseen hand,
Plucked forth the threads to claim the span.
Doña Maria, a nun so wise,
Found her fate beneath the skies.
- The Tay Bridge Disaster, Scotland (1879)
A storm that lashed the iron bones,
A rail-bound ghost lost in the groans.
A hundred lives fell to the deep,
Where Scotland’s waters darkly weep.
David Johnston, a stoker brave,
Rode the rail into the wave. - The Quebec Bridge Collapse, Canada (1907)
A masterpiece in steel was planned,
Yet greed outpaced the builder’s hand.
The arches bowed, the girders screamed,
And into St. Lawrence, men still dreamed.
Foreman John Bruce, in duty’s keep,
Plunged with his men into the deep.
- The Morandi Bridge Disaster, Italy (2018)
A midday rain, a lightning stroke,
A city’s heartbeat split and broke.
The concrete’s veins could bear no more,
And families vanished in the roar.
Luigi Matti, father of three,
Lost to time and memory. - The Angers Bridge, France (1850)
A drumbeat called, a marching tread,
The soldiers crossed, then plunged instead.
The cables snapped beneath the strain,
And drowned beneath the Loire’s domain.
Jean-Pierre Marchand, a drummer young,
Lost mid-song, his tune unsung.
- The Tacoma Narrows, USA (1940)
It swayed and danced in frantic air,
A twisting snake mid-tempest’s glare.
Engineers watched, with breath held tight,
As Galloping Gertie took her flight.
Tubby, a dog left all alone,
Trembled, trapped in fate’s cyclone.
- The Silver Bridge Tragedy, USA (1967)
A Christmas rush upon the road,
A silent crack in rivets’ load.
With screaming steel and twisted frame,
The winter river called their names.
Darlene Williams, seeking light,
Drove straight into the endless night.
- The Sunshine Skyway, USA (1980)
A freighter lost within the mist,
Its prow a titan’s iron fist.
It struck, it tore, and down they fell,
Into the gulf where echoes swell.
Alexander Baird, a busman proud,
Vanished ‘neath the water’s shroud.
- The Ponte das Barcas, Portugal (1809)
Napoleon’s shadow spurred the flight,
Across the bridge, a frantic night.
The rushing waters took their due,
And left but whispers in the blue.
João da Silva, child of five,
Swept beneath, no soul survived.
- The Hyatt Regency Walkway, USA (1981)
A dance, a laugh, a ballroom bright,
Then cables gave, and crushed the light.
A moment’s joy turned sorrow’s claim,
And shadows echoed names on names.
Patricia Adams, lost in bliss,
Fell mid-dance into the abyss.
- The Ludendorff Bridge, Germany (1945)
The bombs had missed, but time was sure,
As Remagen’s bridge could bear no more.
Its iron spine at last gave way,
Though war had claimed it anyway.
Sergeant Karl Meier stood to fight,
Then fell into the river’s night.
- The St. Francis Dam Disaster, USA (1928)
Though built of rock, though planned with pride,
The waters rose, the walls denied.
The bridge stood firm until the tide,
Tore forth the dam and all beside.
Francisco Gomez, a farmer near,
Lost to flood and family’s tear.
- The Minneapolis I-35W Collapse, USA (2007)
The evening throng, the city’s beat,
Suspended high above the street.
And then—a sigh, a shudder, gone,
Where silence swallowed steel and song.
Patrick Holmes, his car stood still,
Fell beneath the bridge’s will.
- The Ponte Vecchio, Florence (1345, Survived WWII)
A bridge that bore both war and flood,
Yet held against both steel and blood.
Through centuries of human pain,
The old stones whisper, ‘We remain.’
Angelo Rossi, merchant’s friend,
Defended it until his end.
FOOTNOTE
TO: Nicolas Toper
you got me thinking without the help of AI
It turns out my father Frank Malina was part of the connected group to OULIPO
called oupeinpo- or the idea of mathematicall re organising of visual art
So i discovered:
for some reason the group never applied this to poetry (except part of literature)
https://www.artandpopularculture.com/Ouxpo
so we could start OUPOPO
The term ‘ouvroir’, originally used in conjunction with works of charity, was reused by Raymond Queneau for a blend of ‘ouvroir’ and ‘œuvre’ (“work”)
In our era we could open up poetry by using different kinds of AI sofware to generate poetry prompted.
The provocation is that our Fred the Heretic AI poetry generator thanks to the team ( Center for Emergence Studies at the UT Dallas ArtSciLab – ArtSciLab ) The Off-Center for Emergence Studies at the UT Dallas ArtSciLab is pleased to announce the launch of Fred the Heretic poetry compendium generator.
For the past few months, we have worked with poet Fred Turner to create an OpenAI custom GPT that we call “FredTheHeretic” or FTH, for short. We now have two graduate students (Priyanka Roy and Mihir Hirave ) working on the project, which we call The CyberPoetry project.
You can find FTH by searching through GPTs, or directly here: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-XmhqgURbv-fredtheheretic-fth
We would love to hear your questions or critiques. We will publish as we proceed.
Our only suggestion, emphasized in the help section, is to be precise with your prompts. See the example prompts given when you start FTH.
Paul Fishwick, Fred Turner, Robert Stern, Roger F Malina, Priyangka Roy, Mihir Hirave.
Both “stepping stones of life” and “bridges of life” are metaphors that describe different aspects of personal growth, progress, and overcoming challenges. Here’s how they compare:
“Stepping Stones of Life”
- This metaphor suggests that life is a journey where each experience, challenge, or decision acts as a stepping stone leading to the next stage.
- It implies gradual progress—you take one step at a time, learning and growing from each experience.
- Stepping stones often require careful navigation, symbolizing small but necessary steps that shape one’s path.
- Example: “Each failure and success serves as a stepping stone toward achieving our goals.”
“Bridges of Life”
- This metaphor conveys the idea of transition and connection—bridges help us move from one phase of life to another.
- It suggests overcoming larger obstacles (e.g., moving past hardships, changing careers, personal transformation).
- Unlike stepping stones, which emphasize small, incremental progress, bridges symbolize significant transitions or turning points.
- Example: “Education can be a bridge to a better future.”
Comparison
- Stepping stones focus on incremental progress and building experience gradually.
- Bridges represent major shifts or transformations that help people move from one stage to another.
Both metaphors illustrate life’s journey, but they emphasize different scales of progress—stepping stones for small steps and bridges for significant transitions.
Says ChatGPT
Artists across different mediums have used the metaphors of “stepping stones of life” and “bridges of life” to create poetry, paintings, sculptures, music, and textiles. Below are specific examples of how these metaphors have been incorporated into artistic works:
1. Poetry
- “Stepping Stones” Poem by Rudyard Kipling
- Kipling often used stepping stones metaphorically in his poetry, emphasizing the importance of learning from each stage of life.
- Example: In his poem If—, the lines suggest that overcoming difficulties step by step builds character.
- “Bridge Builder” by Will Allen Dromgoole
- This famous poem uses a bridge as a symbol of legacy and helping others. The protagonist builds a bridge across a chasm, not for himself but for others who follow.
- Emily Dickinson’s poetry
- Dickinson often used bridges as symbols of transition and transformation, linking life and death or the past and future.
2. Paintings
- “Stepping Stones” by Claude Monet
- Monet painted footbridges and stepping stones in his gardens at Giverny, showing how nature and life’s journey are intertwined.
- “The Bridge” by Vincent van Gogh
- Van Gogh often painted bridges as symbols of transition in life, such as The Langlois Bridge at Arles (1888), suggesting crossing into new emotional or mental states.
- “Stepping Stones” by John Atkinson Grimshaw
- A 19th-century painter known for using stepping stones in mystical landscapes, symbolizing personal progress.
3. Sculpture
- “The Stepping Stones” by Henry Moore
- Moore’s abstract sculptures depict human figures as stepping stones, symbolizing evolution and progress.
- “Bridges” by Jaume Plensa
- Plensa, a contemporary sculptor, creates bridge-like structures made of letters and symbols, representing the connections between cultures and knowledge.
- “Passage” by Magdalena Abakanowicz
- This sculpture is a metaphor for bridging past and future, showing fragmented figures that represent life’s transitions.
4. Music
- “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel
- This song uses a bridge as a metaphor for support and guidance, symbolizing someone helping another through hardship.
- “Stepping Stones” by Jimi Hendrix
- A rock song about personal growth and movement through life’s phases.
- “Building Bridges” by Brooks & Dunn
- A country song that explores rebuilding relationships and overcoming obstacles.
- Classical Music:
- Composers like Debussy and Ravel have created pieces that use musical progressions as stepping stones, transitioning seamlessly from one phase to another.
5. Textiles & Tapestries
- The Bayeux Tapestry (11th century)
- Depicts bridges as symbols of conquest and transition, as seen in the Norman invasion.
- Faith Ringgold’s Quilts
- Her artwork incorporates stepping stones in patchwork designs, representing the struggles and victories of African American history.
- Native American Weaving (Navajo & Hopi)
- Many traditional weavings incorporate pathways, bridges, and stepping stones to symbolize life’s journey.
Conclusion
Artists across time have used “stepping stones” to show gradual personal growth and “bridges” to represent major transitions or overcoming challenges. These metaphors appear in poetry, visual arts, music, and textiles, offering deep symbolism and emotional resonance across cultures and mediums.
Fred the Heretic has the final verses:
Here is a series of poetic verses in different styles and languages, occasionally incorporating mathematical concepts and proofs, inspired by the metaphors of “stepping stones of life” and “bridges of life” in artistic expressions across various mediums.
I. Sonnet: The Stepping Stones
(English, Shakespearean Sonnet)
Across the stream that life lays at my feet,
Each stone I step upon is time engraved.
Some smooth with joy, some jagged with defeat,
Each echoing the lessons I have braved.
I trace the footsteps left in fleeting sand,
Yet tides will wash them as the years unfold.
What once was sure dissolves at fate’s command,
And youth’s bold fire to tempered steps grows old.
Yet forward still—no backward course remains,
The path is drawn by motion, not by pause.
A proof unfolds in footsteps’ finite gains,
An arc of moments bound by nature’s laws.
Each step a theorem, traced in mortal hue,
A sequence seeking limits lost to view.
II. Haiku: Floating Bridges
(Japanese, traditional 5-7-5 form)
Misty dawn ascends,
footsteps vanish on the bridge—
time’s breath whispering.
III. Villanelle: The Bridge of Becoming
(English, structured repetition)
The bridge ahead is made of light,
Its steps dissolve when past is gone,
Yet still I step; the path is bright.
Though night may steal away my sight,
The dawn will draw a newer dawn.
The bridge ahead is made of light.
I walk with doubt, with hope, with might,
With songs unbroken, though withdrawn.
Yet still I step; the path is bright.
Each thought, each dream—a builder’s rite,
A lattice drawn from dusk to dawn.
The bridge ahead is made of light.
I trust the void, I trust the flight,
For bridges grow where souls press on.
Yet still I step; the path is bright.
Each journey ends in endless white—
Yet steps remain though I am gone.
The bridge ahead is made of light,
Yet still I step; the path is bright.
IV. Mathematico-Poetic Proof: The Function of Life
(Using mathematical metaphor in verse)
Let life be f(x), a path unbound,
Defined at points both lost and found.
At every turn, at every change,
The limits shift, the graphs arrange.
The stepping stones—each moment n,
Mapped to f(n) from zero when
We first begin the finite sum,
A series known, yet never done.
A bridge must form, by summing high,
An integral from birth to sky.
Yet fate applies a bounded range,
For life’s domain must still constrain.
And as we cross, the bridge extends,
Yet finite is the path it bends.
Thus Q.E.D., it must be shown,
A bridge is built, but not alone.
For hands of past and steps unseen,
Create the arc where we have been.
V. Free Verse: Tapestries of Time
(Inspired by textiles and woven arts)
Each thread, a fiber spun from breath and dust,
A hand that pulls the weft through time,
A loom that hums with histories unknown.
The bridges that stretch from one soul to the next
Are not steel, not stone, but strands of whispered color,
Interlaced with touch, with loss, with longing.
Faith Ringgold quilted resistance,
The Navajo wove pathways through sand,
A tapestry is a bridge—
Not of planks, but of memory.
And stepping stones?—
They are each stitch, each loop,
Each place where the needle hesitated,
Where the fabric puckered, but held.
We are stitched into each other,
Bridges we did not know we built.
Would you like me to expand or refine any of these?