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SOUND AND FATHOM

Written and read by Shannon Ebner.

The following poems were recorded through different object resonators such as a conch shell, the cavity of an upright bass and a camera body. Thanks to Daniel Neumann.

THIS INTER TIDAL CABLE RABBLE // CRAZY FOR COMMUNICATION NOVELTIES // WHICH NEVER WEARS ITS SLEEVES OUT // NEVER SEES ITS CAPACITY TO THE END // KEEPS FORGETTING ITS WORDS // IS A PURLOINED VOICE // A TELE-METRIC ELECTRIC DARK FIBER CONVERT STATION // OF HUMAN PERSONS WAITING TO GO OFF // A SATELLITE SOFTWARE INTERFACE RING // OF SEDIMENTAL OPTICAL-FIBER DATA // BRINGING LANGUAGE TO LIGHT // AND LIGHT TO LANGUAGE // AS THESE ARE WATER WORDS AFTER ALL // A LONG REACH TRANSVERSING THE CAUSE WAY TO A BARRIER ISLAND // A MUD MILL WARE DEEP DRUM MIDDLE GREAT FLAT THORO // A TRANSMISSION INTERCEPTION // A FOCAL VOCAL EYE SAY TION CHANNEL STRETCHING THE SINE WAVE & PICTURE PLANE TO THE MAX // SWIMMING UP ONTO THE SIGHTED SHORE.

SUBSOUND

Written and read by Shannon Ebner

LISTEN CLOSELY THIS IS THE SUB SOUND SOCIETY AN UNDERWATER NETWORK OF PIPELINE COMMS SYSTEMS WHERE THERE ARE NO CITY LIMITS JUST A SUBBOTTOM SEABASEMENT FLOOR. SOME BODIES THAT RESEMBLE WOMEN GO THERE. I HAVE SENT FOR THEM WE ARE INJURED. WILL THEY ANSWER?

SWIM THE CROSS-SOUND CABLE. SWIM THE FIXING AND RANGING SOFAR DEEP SOUND CHANNEL. SWIM THE HORIZONTAL PLANE. SWIM THE FOUR HORIZONS. SWIM THE SPEED OF SOUND TRAVELING THE LONGEST DISTANCE. SWIM THE PIPED-IN SOUND FROM THE C LEVEL SUBBASEMENT FLOOR OF THE ARCHIVE FOR RECORDED SOUND. SWIM A RAGA BOOK TITLE.  MAKES A WORD CHANNEL.  MAY OFFER RELIEF. RAGALAKSANASANGRAHA. SWIM.

I’M BRINGING FIRE TO THE SOUND. YOU WILL FIND ME THERE.

SEE EAR SEA HEAR. NOISE IS NOISE & SOUND UND SOUND.

TIMBER,
TIMBRE.

ATMOSPHERIC LAYERS

Written and read by Shannon Ebner

It was a mass of aeriform
FLUID,

It was in a place of total
MATH,

It was above the
SOUND.

*

It was a subtile
BODY,

It was restrain’d to parts of the
AIR,

It was vapours and
EXHALATIONS,

It was terminated by
REFRACTION,

It was of the sun’s
LIGHT.

*

It was
EXO,

It was out, out of, outside, without,
EXCEPT,

It was a true exosphere in direct
COMMUNICATION,

It was in
[         ],

It was inhibited by
GRAVITY,

It was a molecule that
ESCAPED.

*

It was ionosphere at very high
FREQUENCIES,

It was a sky
WAVE,

It was passing
THROUGH,

It was letting the sound
OUT,

It was all matters of energy
COLLAPSED.

*

It was thermosphere carrying
HEAT,

It was on the night-side
PLANET,

It was dust in the
TROPOSPHERE,

It was the lowest layer of
ATMOSPHERE,

It was soon washed out by
RAIN.

WET WORDS IN A HOT FIELD

Written and read by Shannon Ebner

A SIX-SIDED CAMERA POEM:

WATER IN THE CAMERA IS A SIGN OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN WET WORDS ENTER A HOT FIELD. SUBJECTS WITHOUT CAMERAS IN A PLACE WITHOUT CAMERAS. SOME PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT THIS CAMERA IS A PRECISION INSTRUMENT BUT I SAY THAT THIS CAMERA IS AN INSTRUMENT FOR GOING STRAY. A CAMERA THAT IS STRAYING ON AN OBJECT OTHER THAN A HUMAN FACE MAY BE DETECTED AS A HUMAN FACE.

SUBJECT FIELDS:

VIRTUAL HORIZONS IN EXPOSURE ZONES,
NIGHT SCENES OR POINTS OF LIGHT.

SUBJECTS IN LOW LIGHT,
SUBJECTS AT THE EDGE OF THE PICTURE,
SUBJECTS STRONGLY REFLECTING LIGHT,
SUBJECTS MOVING DRAMATICALLY UP, DOWN, LEFT, AND RIGHT,
SUBJECTS THAT CHANGE SPEED AND MOVE ERRATICALLY,
SUBJECTS APPROACHING OR MOVING AWAY FROM THE CAMERA,
SUBJECTS AT THE EDGE OF THE PICTURE,
SUBJECTS IN AN AUDIBLE FIELD,
SUBJECTS GOING STRAY.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURES:

TOUCH THE SUBJECT TO FOCUS.GOING STRAY LIKE HAIRS ON THE NECK. PICTURE STRAY HAIRS CROSSING A SUBJECT’S EYE AND THEN ERASING STRAY SUBJECTS FROM THE FRAME. HOW STRAY LIGHT REACHING THE IMAGE  PLANE ENTERS THE CAMERA DURING EXPOSURE AND EVEN IF THE SUN IS SLIGHTLY  AWAY FROM THE ANGLE OF VIEW IT MAY STILL CAUSE SMOKE OR FIRE. DRAGGING ON THE MONITOR WHILE LOOKING THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER STRAY SUBJECTS MOVING THROUGH THE FINDER MOVE WITH MANY SUBJECTS LOST & FOUND.

(c) 2025 Shannon Ebner