Article 4

Erik Fuhrer


Two Series

loop



&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp      fatal you said
              YOU        cold and oaken                                              that shaking
                                                                                                                    that blood
awakened the doves and crossed the river
       emaciated        folding in half                                          

OVER AND OVER AND

YOU        dust  bone   

                                      dirge of angels          humming watch

YOU        white star eyes



YOU        by the river

thin and thinning

YOU YOU…






lop




&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp oaken                                              
                                                                                                                          blood
awakened the 
       emaciated                        half                                          

OVER AND OVER AND

                         bone   

                                      dirge of                 humming

           white



                  river






op




&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp  oaken                                              
                                                                                                                          blood
awakened 
       emaciated                                                                





                                                               humming






I took out your death certificate



to create an erasure poem 
I thought poeticizing this perfunctory document
would transform the official into the personal
but instead it felt like I was blotting you out
erasing the only evidence left of your death



*


I took out your death



to create a          poem 
                      this perfunctory document

                              blotting     out
                                   your death




*


I death



to create 
                      this 

                              blotting     
                                        death

Erik Fuhrer holds an MFA from the University of Notre Dame. His work has appeared in BlazeVox, Dream Pop Press, Crab Fat Magazine, Noble/Gas Qtrly, Eratio, Otoliths, and various other venues. He currently lives in Indiana with his wife.
 
 
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