Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras – BRAINFØG II

Posted byAngela Chaidez VincentPosted inHermelinda Hernandez Monjaras
The first of two images is a visual poem with a title that reads: BRAINFØG II. There is a multi-shaded gray image unfolding like a burst behind the words. The poem’s orientation is landscape. On the left-hand side of the poem, the text reads: pointed city — hooded figure — he visits a gravesite woman in a nightgown — her feet al ritmo de sones sunken y jarabes mass of mourning pale clown face of lions & bears reptile in white space man isolated — beaks, stains, & walls On the right-hand side of the poem, the text reads: death:: daylight or rather the naked eye moon:: diurnal as iguanas death hides during the moon: a frog hops death behaves through the moon: and hunts at 2am In the center of the poem, in a circle, the text reads: mi cuerpo se hizo mil pedazos. vi cuatro retratos. cuatro hombres se rien. el sueño ocupó mi cabeza. aI wip mat saket friikin ai krai in mai moust beisik form wio e iri saednes On the bottom left of the poem, the text reads: … her great-grandma (?) woke up one day and took a shower … she put on her best white dress … she never woke up again … la muerte vino por ella On the bottom right of the poem, the text reads: run over — or starved to death I carried its body — down the street flies all over — the sclera buried its eyes a pungent smell the stench of rotting meat of decay
The second of two images is a visual poem with a title that reads: BRAINFØG II. There is a multi-shaded gray image unfolding like a burst behind the words. The poem’s orientation is landscape. On the left-hand side of the poem, the text forms the shape of a box and it reads: “I went to a funder” “A distant relative passed away” “I wanted to vomit” “I walked to the casket and saw all the color and air suc ked out of her body” Inside the box, the text reads: “emotional” brain “hard” “soft” footsteps cracking In the center of the poem, there is vertical text that reads: its foot} {was stuck on the rug it fell weak} {it wobbled it refused to eat} {nectar its wings} {injured} it died} {i didn’t know how fragile} {life was {i was busy} {with work} On the right-hand side of the poem, the text forms the shape of two concentric circles, and the outer circle reads: En el Día de las Madres Abuela visita el panteón where her father, mother, and brother are buried. The inner circle text reads: I have not learned to write about grief or palpitations.

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Artist’s Statement: For The Fresno 15 Creative Writing Marathon, I used 15 Rorschach I made by dabbing a red rose with paint onto paper. This series is an attempt to write on brain fog: forgetfulness, incoherent thoughts, mental fatigue, lack of clarity, and more. Each day became a challenge: the strings attached within me were reluctant to push, create, and pull; memory became a mass of confusion to frame. Luckily, these 15 days were possible due to persistence and help from my mentor, Anthony Cody, author of The Rendering. Lastly, this series is one step forward toward my future poetic work.

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