PHOENIX SAGA

Debut author amalL era JesuseႱ hO offers a collection of experimental short pieces tackling the big questions.

In this brief work, various ideas about life and existence are expressed in poetic forms. The book is divided into 9 sections, each containing a few short pieces, attributed to authors with names like Tría-Kefáli Hekate and SartsuhtaraZ. The contents range in form from prose to rhyming poetry to minimalist abstractions. In “Ethos,” the authors advise the reader to “Develop, maintain, and refine only the paradigms, psychology, and habits that serve mind, body, and family.” The single line of “Purpose” states that “LIFE Collaborates to Ever-Surpass Itself Searching for Possibilities of ETERNITY.” “A Lone Pilgrim’s Ascent” proves to be one of the longer entries at seven pages. In this narrative, an old man climbs a mountain to reach the ancient Temple of Aaloosłííd. Inside the temple, he finds something magical. He is later advised to “Seek community, share your wisdom, and forget to die.” “The Business” features a baffling diagram placing vaguely defined values, including “Courage,” “Duty,” and “Respect,” into concentric circles without explanation. Other sections lean even harder into the conceptual; one page is devoted to different combinations of zeroes and ones. With a page count under 100, the work moves quickly. Some passages take on a songlike quality: In “Revelations ψ: Philosophy of Next Good Action,” lines like “trying to combat / the darkness cast / easily lost in the light / where edges lack contrast” make for a musical rhythm. Among the formalist exercises throughout the work are gems of wisdom, such as “Martyrdom is a poor Survival Strategy.” Other inclusions are more opaque; a reoccurring character named Enēôlnən states, “With the Vail of Omniscience lifted, might We strengthen this Bridge together or parish in OUR Failure?” This is just one thorny statement, among many others, that proves difficult to unpack. Still, even in its obscurity, the book progresses in a lively fashion.

Though dense at times, this form-breaking work flashes with free-flowing spontaneity.