Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras – BRAINFØG IX

Posted byAngela Chaidez VincentPosted inHermelinda Hernandez Monjaras
Visual poem with a title that reads: BRAINFØG IX. There is a light gray, blooming image behind the words. The poem’s orientation is landscape. The words are arranged in three columns, separated by text oriented from top to bottom. The text reads: (left column): a billion insects alive in my armpits I drink with my liver she keeps me company hues of aqua de jamaica cling to afford life outside poverty I wearimposter smeared faces turbid estuary rehab sessions crawl on walls infest in small holes with an envelope close my intestines (text that reads top to bottom between left and middle columns): my patriotic silent rent every month $784 as a teacher assistant can’t help but worry about access to health care and the legal system (middle column): ambiguous patterns impose I see a trash can? cat? figure? I walk closer a man stands up & runs away stains oblique image adulting as a temporary aperture pupils squint obsessing over dystopian films for stimulus I die a broke/n woman (text that reads top to bottom between middle and right columns): On the edge of relocating 11 apartments: within 7 years (“illegal immigrants” in strikethrough text, leaving only a capital I) deal with so much shit (right column): I walk for miles to locate seagulls seahorse perches on pine cones I swear the air conditioner shifts into pelvises shifts into new pairs of thunder pubic bone-sighted letter soup cotton shaped candy floating dust bleeds in my gut

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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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