Language Lessons

Semantic satiation happens when words or phrases are repeated so often and so closely together that they start to lose meaning for the reader or listener. I wanted to explore what that might look like in poetry, and how common words and phrases could be combined in uncommon ways.

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Take Your Best Shot

The money shot

is a long shot.

I need a shot

in the arm

to make

that shot

in the dark,

hoping

the long shot

hits.

But not

like a rim shot.

Not waylaid

by a cheap shot.

I think

I have a shot.

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One Last Chance, Again. Until the Next One.

I believe in an

endless flow of chances.

Lucky chances,

sporting chances,

taking chances,

outside chances,

slim chances,

fat chances.

I believe

that snowball

has a fighting chance,

however off chance.

I’ll always

take a chance

on chance meetings

until I can’t,

and finally meet

a true and real

ghost

of a one last chance.

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The complete results of this experimentation will be available soon in my upcoming book, Language Lessons: A Life in Semantic Satiation

And one more before you go: