The outlaw in question is the name of the person (or subject) to whom the poem is addressed. Each line of the poem includes all the letters of the alphabet except for the letter appearing in the dedicated name at the position corresponding to that of the line: when writing a poem to Eva, the first line will contain all letters except E, the second all letters except V, and the third all letters except A.

Choose someone mentioned in your newspaper to whom to address your poem. Compose a beautiful outlaw poem following the procedure outlined above and using words sourced from your newspaper text.

To view what my fellow Ouliposters have shared, visit the Oulipost blog here: http://www.foundpoetryreview.com/blog/oulipost-26-beautiful-outlaw-belle-absente/

I worked mostly from a single article, but found that for certain letters like q, x and z I had limited choices. How many times can you repeat subsequent in 6 sentences?  With the constraint at times of the omitted letter, I decided to use words occasionally from a second article.

Once I had my sentences complete and in compliance with the belle absente rule, I then (ha! Subsequently!) inserted line breaks to make it more like a poem.

Here are my sentences, followed by the poem. The title is the name I chose to work with, Miriam.

SENTENCES:

All puny sorrows nuanced, shattering exploration into the agonizing job of suicides, the subsequent overshadowed it burrows deep, expecting kindness, a balance of funny and sad disappointed.

The wry humour, overshadowed square, large, excellent, the job of funny Ezra feels the lack, however, and what makes up for the lack?

To die a long suicide attempt involving pills and knives and bleach leaves agonizing in the subsequent months you want to live, and expecting to want to live, but also know it’s a futile job how does one live with such knowledge?

The novel opens more: the house of Ezra, the father’s own excellent hands hauled away on the back of a truck, never to be seen subsequent the father, who makes a job to block the sun’s glare as he stares at the place home used to be.

The subsequent survivors, bronze children, the conflicted emotions, the shell-shock job of simply loving someone who dies, the well of resentment to expose institutions.

While each unhappy exploration is revealing, unhappy in its own way, the subsequent terrain of guilt, frustration, anger, despair and fear, look where you stand: a fine job of exploring that bronze landscape.

MIRIAM

All puny sorrows nuanced, shattering exploration into
the agonizing job of suicides, the subsequent overshadowed.
It burrows deep, expecting kindness, a balance
of funny and sad disappointed.

The wry humour, overshadowed square,
large, excellent, the job of funny.
Ezra feels the lack, however,
and what makes up for the lack?

To die. A long suicide attempt involving pills
and knives and bleach leaves agonizing
in the subsequent months. You want to live,
and expecting to want to live, but also know
it’s a futile job: how does one live with such knowledge?

Various pills (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The novel opens more: the house of Ezra,
the father’s own excellent hands hauled away
on the back of a truck, never to be seen subsequent.
The father, who makes a job to block the sun’s glare
as he stares at the place home used to be.

First abandoned house in Glenkeel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The subsequent survivors, bronze children,
the conflicted emotions, the shell-shock job of
simply loving someone who dies,
the well of resentment to expose institutions.

While each unhappy exploration is revealing,
unhappy in its own way, the subsequent terrain of guilt,
frustration, anger, despair and fear, look where you stand:
a fine job of exploring that bronze landscape.

Sunset Grand Canyon (Arizona) (Photo credit: gabri_micha)

CAS, April 26, 2014