Irreversible Fetal Anomalies

^{poem made entirely from letters in the title, after}^{Chen Chen}

a tall iris
a list of river names

omens all i see
fatal bells

o visio
o loam

a lit table
a test small flames retell

i fall over a rose
reel into a mess of lilies

sleet amasses stone
a sea lives a fever

in time a lion enters
o fearsome mane

roam most near me

Credit

About this Poem

“Sometimes writing about a new subject matter requires a new form. I found this form interesting to work with as it both restricts the language to choose from and opens it out, letting new words and images that I wouldn’t otherwise have found come through.”
—Chloe Honum

Author

Chloe Honum

Chloe Honum is the author of The Lantern Room (Tupelo Press, 2022); Then Winter (Bull City Press, 2017); and The Tulip-Flame (Cleveland State University Press, 2014).

Date Published

03/19/2025