Typographic experiment here: loosely translating deliberate illegibility in the original cut-up book “Heal The Wire” (such as by reversing words, or taking advantage of printer smears) ➾ to regular inline text.
T̵̡̹̙̦̍̓͌̾͊ime is a fraying tape
of ɔ̷̹͔̹͔͇̀̓̒̏͋o̵̯͙͚͑ɿ̶̨͙͒͋̇o̵̙̍̕͘n̵̡̻̱̮͊͋̏͋͗ɒ̸̼̗͘v̵̧̩̱͑́î̶̡̜̳̿̓̈̕ɿ̴̥̪͈̭̊̆υ̷̪̖̰͔͔̾̾̈́ƨ̴̲͌̍
lessons and
it twists
off-again, on-again,
T̸̟̬̉͒esting
T̵̡̹̙̦̍̓͌̾͊esti̵͙̘̋̀͒͜n̷̛̝͓̋͑͠g̶̳͚͎͠
Ş̶̩̱̰͓͉͚̣̲̤͍̤̱̜̋̆̇̈́̑̐͗̓̕ing
Ș̵̨̃ing̴̘̲͙̫̪̫̝̱̖̗̅͐̀̿̽̃͘
As we tip̷̨̨̗̯̩̠̈́̏toe
the same ḅ̴͔̤̃́͠ranch,
a f̸̗̠̑̎̉̏͠ine line,
a risk beneath
h̵͍́͑̄̒̿̈̒̈́̕͝i̷̩̲̖͎̅̀́̌̋͠͝͠g̵͇̠̝̘̎̓̈́̈̍͗̌̚̚͝ẖ̵̬̖͒́̇̔͒͝è̶͙̝͔͚͈̽r̵̤͉͔̽̂̈̅͘̚.
As mourners
fell in
BΓⱯCK HOΓES,
down wells,
where social
feel like
FED҉E҉RAL
they urged keep
and ɔ̷̹͔̹͔͇̀̓̒̏͋o̵̯͙͚͑ɿ̶̨͙͒͋̇o̵̙̍̕͘n̵̡̻̱̮͊͋̏͋͗ɒ̸̼̗͘v̵̧̩̱͑́î̶̡̜̳̿̓̈̕ɿ̴̥̪͈̭̊̆υ̷̪̖̰͔͔̾̾̈́ƨ̴̲͌̍
soared
and d̵̛̖̰͍̺̳͓̦̩̝͐̐̈͗̌̈̽͋̔̏̽̀́̍̀̀̇̆́̓̈́͌͆̐̑̇ͅé̶̢̞̟̯͓̠͔̝͕̖̮͕̜̝̞̣͓̗̙̩͎̝̜͕̟̲̗̼͌̆͜a̶̛͓̜̖͈̮̞̗̗̘̙͎̰̠̘͕̣̯̼̭͎̥̮̗̯̯͊̇̄̀̀̈̾͗̿͘̚͜͠ths,
led by worsen,
whelms,
for flo̴͎̭͆̓̀͌̂̀̃͆̏̒͒́͒̈́̓͐̋̓͑͑̔̓̈́̒̚͘͝od
for the
ɔ̷̹͔̹͔͇̀̓̒̏͋o̵̯͙͚͑ɿ̶̨͙͒͋̇o̵̙̍̕͘n̵̡̻̱̮͊͋̏͋͗ɒ̸̼̗͘v̵̧̩̱͑́î̶̡̜̳̿̓̈̕ɿ̴̥̪͈̭̊̆υ̷̪̖̰͔͔̾̾̈́ƨ̴̲͌̍ q̴̰̾͠ą̵͎̋̋̄́͛͋͑͝n̴̛̲̼͇̦͉͖̫͂̌̑̅̉̂b̶͎̐̃͘͝e̸͓̲̩͖̗͆̿̽̓̀͒͊̃͐̇ͅm̶̛̫͎͓̀͛̓͆͠͝ḭ̴̢̳̣͎̯̱̪̌͂̈́̐̾͗̉̎̾ć̶̨̙̫̩̭̝͖͍̳̾̀͌́͝
for a phone call
scattered across the
afternoon,
heal the wire.
Today could last only
in mȍ̷̘̩̾́rning,
close-knit to
g l̵̟̖̙͋͑̂̑ory.
By week’s end,
tragedy
weighs its l̵̟̖̙͋͑̂̑ove.
Heal The Wire, winter/spring 2021. Images of this poem also appeared in Beir Bua Journal’s visual poetry issue.
**
Alexis Fedorjaczenko is Contributing Editor for Visual Poetry at Beir Bua Journal. Alexis writes poetry, essay, and in hybrid methods, and her visual work includes handcrafted Poem Objects, analog and digital collage, visual poetry, and photography. Her essay-poem “Ways to Enter an Abandoned Mill” was nominated for Best of the Net 2021 by Zoetic Press. Alexis tweets @ObjetAutre.
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