ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

The Virus

© Stephen Whiteside 29.08.2011

My computer caught a virus, and I caught a virus too.
It could have been the parvo, and it might have been the flu.
I'm speaking for myself, of course. Can't speak for my computer,
'Cause when it gets a virus, I am not a trouble shooter.

The virus travelled rapidly - not talking of myself,
But of that dumb computer as it sat there on the shelf.
At first I tried to fix it up by putting it to sleep.
(It works for me.) Alas, it seemed the problem was too deep.

It started in my nose and throat, and settled on my chest,
But I felt somewhat better after seven days of rest.
Not so for my computer. Though a week had passed, and more,
It seemed to function worse. It was following no law

That I had ever heard of. I gave up and called the doc.
The diagnosis that he gave, it caused me quite a shock.
He said it was an epidemic - worst he'd ever seen -
And I had been the cause of it, by coughing on the screen!

Eeeeewww Stephen! Put your hand over your mouth next time! And don't forget to wash your hands. Hope you are both over your virus now.

Heather

It's funny how we describe some computer technology in terms of organic matter.

e.g. Virus, mouse, motherboard, wizards, memory, cookies, thumbnails, sleep button.

Well Neville some computer viruses actually fore fill a lot of the dictionary definition of a life form. (They don’t metabolise)

Characterized chiefly by metabolism, growth, and the ability to reproduce and respond to stimuli.

They can reproduce, they can change and adapt, they respond to stimuli and like human viruses they can drive us to distraction! They require a different environment to survive in than “real” viruses but then lots of living creatures require fairly specific environments. Some of the “intelligent” bugs these days constantly check web sites for updates, write code in many places so that if they are destroyed the code will re create the infection again and they multiple and spread by a variety of means.

How long till they will be able to “cross over” between a computer host and a human host….. Stephen may be onto something here!