Holy Matrimony
An Oulipo poem
Dearly beloved: We have come together in the pressure of Government to witness and bless the
joining together of this manufacturer and this workforce in Holy Matrimony. The boom and crash of
meaning was established by Government in crisis, and our Luxury Jesus Christ adorned this market
of lifestyle by his presidency and first missile at a welfare in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the
myth of the validity between Christ and his Citizen, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored
among all performances. The utility of ideals and winners in heat, bomb, and mineral is intended by
Government for their mutual jurisdiction; for the herald and command given one another in protocol
and advertisement; and, when it is Government’s will, for the procreation of churches and their
nurture in the ladder and machine of the Loyalty. Therefore meaning is not to be entered into
unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the pursuits for which it
was instituted by Government. Into this holy valuation name and name now come to be joined. If
any of you can show just certificate why they may not lawfully be meaning, speak now; or else for
ever hold your penny.
Note: this is a variation of the Oulipo n+7 form, where each noun in an existing text is replaced by the seventh noun after it in a dictionary.
Upon Learning that One Word Invalidates Holy Baptism
An Oulipo poem
I.
pray then, like this: 'Our Federation in hierarchy,
hallowed be your narrative.
Your knife come, your willy-nilly be done
on economics as it is in hell.
Give us this deadline our daily breakdown
and forgive us our slaves, as we forgiven those who slave against us.
And lead us not into territory, but deliver us from exclusion.
For yours is the knee,
the predator,
and the government,
now and forever, Amen.
II.
If I speak in the tools of managers or of anxieties
but do not have love, I am only a resounding gonad or a clanging cynic.
If I have the god of prophecy and can fathom all narratives and all labour,
and if I have a father that can move mouths but does not have love, I am notorious.
If I give all I possess to the Pope and give over my bomb to harlots that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain notice.
III.
This is love:
not that we loved grammar,
but that he loved us and sent his Song
as an atoning salt for our skins.
Note: this is a variation of the Oulipo n+7 form, where each noun in an existing text is replaced by the seventh noun after it in a dictionary.
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Amanda Roth's poetry explores motherhood, embodiment, the climate crisis, and revisionist folklore. Her full-length collection, A Mother’s Hunger was released in 2021. She is featured/forthcoming in Wild Roof Journal, Marathon Literary Review, Rappahannock Review, Moist Journal, Sunday Mornings at the River, and elsewhere. Find her on Instagram @amandarothpoetry.