by Maura Pierlot

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intro: coding is getting the computer
to see what you see
without words
computers can’t understand them
only on and off switches
ones and zeros
            Are you a one
            Or a zero

coding is power
and choice
you can write any script you like
lines and lines of codes
that you put into a program
an exe file for all to use

coding is telling the computer
how to do something
how to change what’s in its memory
…………..I want to change my memory
            but I don’t know how

coding is a language
make sure you know
the lingo
            Function
Content
Instructions
Script
Thread
Compile
………….Run Time
Loop
Scratch
Glitch
Markup
Server
………….Submit
Null
Overload
Test
Life cycle
Escape
………….Quit

warning: bugs are everywhere
triggering errors
…………..flaws
            failures
            faults
that ripple and scar
because coders make mistakes
            we all make mistakes
but they can be fixed
even when the whole system is crashing

important: the first step of coding is to realise
there’s more than one way to solve a problem
sometimes it just takes a while
you need time and space
to think
            or not think
to test
            to rest
to be   
…………..to stay

and try again.

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Maura Pierlot is an award-winning author and playwright who hails from New York but has lived in Canberra for nearly thirty years. Her writing often explores existential issues at the heart of memory, identity and self. Casting the spotlight on youth mental health, Maura’s play Fragments (in which a version of < code > featured) enjoyed a sell-out season at The Street Theatre in October 2019.