Permanence is a recurring theme in poetry. Two poems that come to mind are Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 18′ and William Wordsworth’s ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’.
Recently, I discovered that it’s now possible to “burn” text into the Bitcoin blockchain using a technology called “ordinals.” This technology centers on inscribing onto individual satoshis, and the inscription can subsequently be shared or traded as an NFT (Non-Fungible Token).
In 2011, I created a series of system poems consisting of 3 to 5 lines with words connected paradigmatically and syntagmatically, inspired by the structural tradition of linguistic analysis—such as in the works of Roman Jakobson. The structure allowed for up to 20 unique lines to be generated from the basic framework.
At the time, I didn’t think of it as generative art, but I see some parallels now, even though the term “generative” is commonly associated with visual art.
The poem inscribed into the bitcoin blockchain
The Bitcoin Poem in clear text
interpretants / flow / rhythmically
phases / infer / conclusively
conscience / projects / vertically
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walk-through / assimilate / authenticate
dichotimise / diurnally / referentiate
refer / transfer / illuminate
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kasper bergholt, 2011, https://bergholt.net
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Content of the poem
Thematically, the poem is not about Bitcoin, nor was it originally written for the medium of ordinals, as the technology wasn’t available in 2011. The focus is on ensuring a degree of permanence for the poem by burning it into the Bitcoin blockchain.
Reading the bitcoin poem
Ordiscan -> https://ordiscan.com/inscription/74857184
Hiro -> https://ordinals.hiro.so/inscription/8898f1b3ed9fd16c476bc34ee9e778debec4b9a94938f26bf838b27f62eab5b0i0
Also see
Three Time Glitches in Copenhagen
Analysis of the poem’s rhythm
Here’s a short analysis of the poem’s rhythmical structure in its generative version number 1.
The poem alternates between shorter words (often 1-2 syllables) and longer, polysyllabic words (3-5 syllables), creating a dynamic, varied rhythm.
The shifts in syllable counts between lines give the poem an irregular, syncopated beat.
The alternation between short and long words allows for moments of pause and emphasis (particularly on shorter words like “flow,” “refer,” and “projects”), followed by more extended, flowing words that elongate the rhythm per line.
This creates a sense of push and pull in the rhythm, with sections that feel rapid and clipped followed by more fluid, flowing phrases.
Vs Sonnet 18 & ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’
The structure of the bitcoin poem contrasts with standard English metrical lines in iambic pentameter by favouring four-syllable lines in loose structure in contrast to ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’, mentioned in the introduction, that uises iambic tetrameter (lines with 7 syllables in four iambs) and iambic trimeter (lines with 6 syllables in three iambs) leading to a more regular and flowing rhythm.
Sonnet 18, on the other hand, consists of 14 lines of almost pure iambic pentameter depending on the pronunciation of the words: ‘temperate’, ‘owest’, ‘wanderest’ and ‘growest’.
What are bitcoin ordinals?
A Bitcoin ordinal refers to a way of uniquely and inscribing single satoshi (the smallest unit of bitcoin, a bitcoin consists of 100,000,000 satoshi) on the Bitcoin blockchain. Ordinals were introduced through a protocol developed by Casey Rodarmor in 2023. Ordinals enable the tracking and numbering of each single satoshi, making them distinguishable from one another based on the order of mining and movement within the blockchain. Ordinals work entirely withing the existings Bitcoin structure and do not require any sidechains or separate tokens.
Unlike bitcoin transactions where satoshis are fungible (interchangeable), ordinals allow for a system where individual satoshi can have unique data (known as inscribtions) attached to them. The inscribtions, such as my bitcoin poem above, can containg images, texts, etc. in form of files, making the blockchain a medium, or infrastructure, for new forms of content creation and distribution, a distributed storage aiming for permanence and immutability.