This Here Southern Gothic Poem Writ Itself Sort Of (Thanks to an Alphabetical Sequence the Poet Produced by Forming Words in the New York Times Word Game Spelling Bee with the letters T X U N D E T, plus the letter A, Which Has to Be in Every Word).[1]

Self Portrait with Lace by Gertrud Arndt

  • Aunt
  • Axed
  • Data
  • Date
  • Dated
  • Daunt
  • Daunted
  • Dead[2]


[1] Prosaic titles used to be a thing, and Yeats was a master. e.g.: 

To A Poet, Who Would Have Me Praise Certain Bad Poets, Imitators of His and Mine

You say, as I have often given tongue
In praise of what another’s said or sung,
‘Twere politic to do the like by these;
But was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

2] To me, it sounds like the boot noise of doomed soldiers marching.

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