I asked Google’s Bard to review my poem “Open The Shadow” with reference to the Matrix movie. I did not mention to Bard that “Open The Shadow” was a blackout poem created from page 3 of The Matrix screenplay (Numbered Shooting Script, March 29, 1998). The results were quite interesting!
Bard begun by listing the similarities between “Open The Shadow” and The Matrix. The first similarity was Duality and Hidden Reality: “The title itself echoes the film's central theme of a hidden, simulated reality behind the perceived world. "Open the shadow" invites uncovering what lies beneath the surface, mirroring Morpheus' offer to Neo: "Take the red pill, and follow me."”
It is interesting to note that in the 1998 version of the script, (written by the Wachowski brothers who are now the Wachowski sisters – duality and hidden reality!) Agent Smith and the other Agents first appear on this page that I created the blackout poem from. In “Identify Your Agent Smith In The Matrix” Arno Pienaar writes: “Agent Smith can also manifest spontaneously, anywhere and out of anyone…within every new person you meet there may be a hidden hand at play serving to press your buttons.” In other words, duality and hidden reality.
Pienaar also writes that: “…darkness and light are only negations of each other, meaning that one only exists within the total absence of the other, or denies the existence of the other completely, yet they exist due to the existence of each other — duality.” Darkness and light could be synonyms of Secrets and Revelation, which is the other similarity that Bard mentioned between “Open the Shadow” and The Matrix: “The words "small," "secret," and "shit" suggest uncovering something hidden, potentially disturbing, a truth kept out of sight. This aligns with the Matrix's focus on suppressed truths and the consequences of their revelation.”
Darkness and light “…generate energy that energize a matrix that thrives on the opposite poles of duality,” writes Pienaar. Regarding hidden reality, he writes: “The Agent Smiths do not work in direct ways, rather sinisterly they operate through the unseen world, or spiritual worlds as they call it…people unconsciously project their shadow selves onto others, i.e. aspects of themselves they are unwilling to forgive out of guilt.”
Bard gives three possible interpretations of “Open the Shadow” one of which is: “Beyond the Matrix: The poem…could represent facing any hidden truth, confronting uncomfortable realities, and the potential consequences of doing so.” Pienaar writes about one way we can face hidden truths and confront uncomfortable realities: “To remove yourself from a negative projection in a relationship, is to remove yourself from the role you are attached to.”
