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Error Messages in Haiku

Some of these haiku were first published by Salon magazine
as entries in their Feb '98 21st Challenge.


The case of the hijacked haiku



A file that big?

It might be very useful.

But now it is gone.

-- David J. Liszewski

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The Web site you seek

cannot be located but

endless others exist

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Chaos reigns within.

Reflect, repent, and reboot.

Order shall return.

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ABORTED effort:

Close all that you have.

You ask way too much.

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First snow, then silence.

This thousand dollar screen dies

so beautifully.

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With searching comes loss

and the presence of absence:

"My Novel" not found.

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The Tao that is seen

Is not the true Tao, until

You bring fresh toner.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Windows NT crashed.

I am the Blue Screen of Death.

No one hears your screams.

-- Peter Rothman

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Stay the patient course

Of little worth is your ire

The network is down

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A crash reduces

your expensive computer

to a simple stone.

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Yesterday it worked

Today it is not working

Windows is like that

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Three things are certain:

Death, taxes, and lost data.

Guess which has occurred.

-- David Dixon

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You step in the stream,

but the water has moved on.

This page is not here.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Out of memory.

We wish to hold the whole sky,

But we never will.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Having been erased,

The document you're seeking

Must now be retyped.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Rather than a beep

Or a rude error message,

These words: "File not found."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Serious error.

All shortcuts have disappeared.

Screen. Mind. Both are blank.