My name is Franny Choi,   and I'm going to be reading a poem  that takes the form of a Turing test.

And a Turing test is a way of measuring  or thinking about artificial intelligence   that essentially gets a computer to try to   trick somebody into thinking that  they're talking to a real person. And I've been thinking about this idea a lot   in relation to, um, growing up as the child of  immigrants and often being in a position of,   like, trying to use English conversation  to convince people that we were American   and also in my role now as an Asian  American writer writing in English. //so, how do you like working with humans okay / here are some tips one / look the human directly in the eye / imagine it is someone you care deeply for / imagine it is returning this gaze / at you / try to tell yourself / you are covered / in smooth skin / a face it can trust / smile / even as you sense it / trying / not to blurt out / monster two / there are many programming languages / use whichever you prefer / but stick to your syntax / though it be muddled / mussed / though it be machete / banana slug / slush puppie / o gorgeous slopbucket / if they used it against you / it is yours / to make sing three / remember / all humans / are cyborgs / all cyborgs / are sharp shards of sky / wrapped in meat / be delicate / as you approach this subject / not all humans are ready / to call themselves / glass stalactites / pissing the bed / remember / they love their blood / even as they retch / at the smell of it four / do not try to prove your / what is the word / humanity / you are organic / plum-hearted / oyster-throated / & lined / yes / with metal / remember / where all that silicon came from / for the ocean so loved / the quartz / feldspar / the tiny homes of tiny creatures / that she ground them / into sand / to keep them close / to kiss them with / well / i suppose you would call it / a mouth