it stands in its own shadow
and calls the shadow architecture


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i live in the second stanza, east-facing
i keep my verbs loose on the concrete floor
at night the whole block hums with unstressed vowels
and the expansion joints open like mouths to breathe


┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                          │
│           load-bearing silence           │
│                   ║                      │
│                   ║                      │
│                   ║                      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘


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now the sentence      takes         water
now the sentence    takes      on      water
now    the    sentence    takes    on    water    and    swells
now     the     sentence     takes     on     water     and     swells     past     its     joints


                              s   e   t


t h e   s e n t e n c e   c r a c k s   a l o n g   i t s   s e a m s
t h e   s e n t e n c e   c r a c k s   a l o n g   i t s  ▓
t h e   s e n t e n c e   c r a c k s   a l o n g  ▓
t h e   s e n t e n c e   c r a c k s  ▓
t h e   s e n t e n c e  ▓
t h e  ▓
t   h   e  ▓
s   e   n   t   e   n   c   e
t
h
e
s
e
n
t
e
n
c
e

      e
          e
               e
                    e


░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░   ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░   ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░


rubble
rests
in
the
margin


and somewhere, again, a
word
   arrives
       loose


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variation 1179 · resurfaced · pour · set · cure · crack · repeat
whitespace is the formwork · breath is the mixer
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