Towers Fall Down

TOWERS FALL DOWN is a collection of found poetry from type-in computer games of the 80s.  All of the lines of the poems below were taken from strings of code, mostly from books by Usborne(especially The Mystery of Silvermountain and Island of Secrets) and K-Power (Computer Olympics). They appear exactly as formatted in the source material.

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING
BUT YOU HAVE NOTHING
THERE IS NOTHING TO FIGHT
YOU CANNOT MOVE THROUGH SOLID STONE

REMEMBER OLD TIMES
THE ROOM OF SECRET VISIONS
THE APPROACH TO THE WELL OF DESPAIR
HIS DREADED CLOAK OF ENTROPY

YOU CANNOT CARRY ANY MORE
NO, YOU MUST STAND AND FIGHT
THERE IS SOMETHING BEYOND..
AT THE END OF A DARK TUNNEL

IT WILL BURN YOUR HANDS



YOUR BODY TWISTS AND BURNS...

AN UNDERGROUND RIVER FLOWS SWIFTLY BY
ARE YOU THIRSTY?
GHOSTS WILL NOT LET YOU MOVE
THE SNAKE UNCURLS

REFLECTIONS STIR WITHIN
YOU MADE A WONDERFUL SHOOTING STAR
HOW FAR WILL YOU BE FLYING
YOU DIDN'T LISTEN, DID YOU?

SHE NODS SLOWLY
YOU TOOK TOO LONG ABOUT IT
BUT YOU ARE GRANTED ANOTHER TRY
I NEED TWO WORDS

REMEMBER ALADDIN IT WORKED FOR HIM



A FOSSILISED EGG
A LILY FLOWER
A DIRTY OLD RAG
HE TAKES THEM ALL

A FIERCE LIVING STORM THAT FOLLOWS YOU
YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH
YOU HAVE BEEN CAUGHT!
HE WILL NOT LET YOU PAST

AHEAD ARE SHEETS OF UNPASSABLE FLAME.
AND THE GOING GETS HARDER
AS THE RACE GETS LONGER.
WRONG ANSWERS SLOW YOU DOWN.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU RUN
YOU FOUND SOMETHING
SOMETHING INSIDE
YOU ALREADY HAVE IT

WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW



IT ISN'T HERE
IT DOES NOT BURN
IT BITES AND SCRATCHES!
IT CASTS A FLICKERING LIGHT
IT IS NOT TIED TO ANYTHING!
IT IS TOO FAR TO JUMP
IT FALLS OFF ITS HINGES
IT IS NOT BIG ENOUGH!
IT SHATTERS RELEASING A DAZZLING RAINBOW OF COLORS!
IT MAY JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!



THE BOAT SKIMS THE DARK SILENT WATERS
A STORM BREAKS OVERHEAD

PASSENGERS FLOAT BY AT RANDOM
A LIVID GROWTH OF MAD ORCHIDS

SWIMMING IN THE POISONOUS WATERS
THUNDER SPLITS THE SKY!

YOU NEED TO PHONE HOME.
BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO

DO YOU WANT TO



A CORNER STREWN WITH BROKEN CHAIRS
YOU ARE BACK TO BACK
HE OFFERS HIS STAFF

GOING DOWN
NOTHING SPECIAL!
MOST ACTIONS NEED TWO WORDS

FASTER
SLOWER
HE IS DISTRACTED
DO YOU WANT ANY HELP?

YOUR HEAD ACHES - GIVE UP
YOU CAN GO NO FURTHER
ALL RIGHT
SCARE HIM.

TAKE A LONG SHOWER AND DON'T COME BACK!
TRY AGAIN IN FOUR YEARS.

THE SWAMPMAN IS UNMOVED
HE LAUGHS DANGEROUSLY
ANOTHER GO?

YOU BOTH GET GOLD MEDALS.



A PILE OF RUBBLE BLOCKS YOUR PATH
THE MOUNTAIN RUMBLES!
TOWERS FALL DOWN!
THE WIZARD HAS YOU IN HIS GLARE
HE LEADS YOU