Poetry Expo 26
/ 28 February 2026
My mom said she was immature…
a poem exploring maturity and AI
Poetry Expo 2026
This poem was inspired by the author’s mother developing a fondness for—and frequently conversing with—Gemini. Rather than imagining her as transformed into an emotionless machine, the poem uses this situation as a hyperbolic lens through which to explore an idealised notion of maturity.
It raises questions such as: What does it truly mean to be mature? Does maturity imply constant emotional restraint, or is there space for anger, vulnerability, and loss of control? Can excessive emotional regulation lead to the erosion—or even extinction—of feeling itself?
At the same time, the poem reflects on our growing dependence on artificial intelligence and the quiet irony of seeking guidance from machines on how to become more human.
The project is part of the subtheme Hybrid Selves – Gender, Identity, and Posthuman Intimacies.
Author
Barnabás Mármaros-Tóth
Barnabás Mármaros-Tóth is an 18-year-old Hungarian university student. He’s been writing poems for 7-8 years, but only as a hobby, he’s never received formal training. Although he mainly writes in Hungarian, he took on the challenge of writing in English for this expo. He mostly writes about his feelings as he believes that his deepest poems are born from unsaid words and unexpressed feelings, but he frequently takes a philosophical approach as well, that is more focused on the outside world.
He’s very passionate about poetry and he’s been recently submitting his poems for competitions to get unbiased feedback on the quality of their content. While he views poetry as self-expression, his ultimate goal is to have an impact on the reader.
