Order the Impossible - erasure poem by Drew Myron
Chapter VI [a four part poem]
Sorrow began to pace.
What to do?
Order the impossible.
Follow the Quiet, an erasure poem by Drew Myron
Slowly follow the quiet.
Wait, an erasure poem by Drew Myron.
With cheery alacrity, wait.
You are needed, an erasure poem by Drew Myron.
Recognize the command
[as follows]:
You are needed.
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This erasure poem was created from pages of Trumpeter Fred by Captain Charles King, published in 1895. I purchased it for $3 at a thrift store and chose the book not for the story but for its handy size, generous margins, and toothy paper. The cover is falling off, the binding is loose. The book is about a military bugler and many pages reveal dated language that makes me wince (“savages,” etc).
I’ve never subscribed to the “don’t write in books” rule. I like re-invention. Decaying books get new life with fresh form and ideas. A book is physical and valuable, but rarely precious.
Go ahead: Scratch out! Scribble in! Make something new!
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