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Tear the pen,
to pen
this yet-seen draw
words cut across.

It weaves
in letters
it escapes,
fathoms,
and, thus,
reforms—
and hopes fate
scatters it in leaves.

We cross
its cut and raw words,
yet see it open
the pent heart…

Note: This poem is an “aelindrome”, palindromic in the decimal expansion of the “plastic number”, ρ. That is, the first palindromic units, 1324…, parse the letters as follows: [T-]₁[-ear]₃[th-]₂[-e pen]₄, which reflects backward as, [-e pen-]₄[-t h-]₂[-ear-]₃[-t]₁. This process continues to ρ’s twentieth significant figure. The “plastic number” was chosen for its relevance to the geometric dissection of squares into non-congruent similar rectangles—thus formally echoing the poem’s subject and style of lettristic dissection.

Anthony Etherin is a writer of constrained, formal and experimental poetry. His works have appeared online in The Account Magazine, Nagari Magazine, and Cordite Poetry Review, among others, and in print from No Press, Spacecraft Press, Timglaset and The Blasted Tree, as well as from his own small press, Penteract Press. He tweets @Anthony_Etherin and archives his work online at anthonyetherin.wordpress.com.