NU T I E DT L

Untitled

A biographical poem from Blasted Allegories

Matt Mullican

Her birthHer familyHer house, homeLearning to crawlThe heat from the kitchen stoveLearning to walk

Hearing her

TOM

H RE

upstairs

The street noises coming in the windowLearning to talkThe rug on the living room floorThe trees growing in the backyardLearning to use her handsFeeling hungry after her napThe sunlight hurt her eyesHer fourth birthdayThe salt on the dining room tableSmelling the fresh autumn airBleeding after skinning her kneeEntering schoolThe pillow on her parent’s bedMaking friendsTraveling to the mountainsCrying when feeling lostThe people living down the streetLearning to read wordsThe dining room tableThe sky was a light shade of blueLearning arithmeticHer best friend’s brotherFeeling hungry after skipping lunchLearning to ride a bikeThe full moon lights up the night skyLearning about gravity in schoolThe light in the hallwayCatching her breath after running home

AEntering the sixth grade — becoming olderTheir pet dogThe door between her and her older sister’s roomHaving to go to the bathroomNoticing that the tree in the backyard is changing colorFeeling the glare of the sun on her eyesThey got two inches of rain that weekPlaying handball at schoolThe street lightFeeling proud of her schoolworkLooking at herself in the mirrorEntering the seventh gradePlaying in the backyardThe food cans in the kitchen cabinetGoing to the school danceDoing her homeworkTasting that there’s too much salt in the saladThinking about going steadyExperiencing pubertyScaring the dog by slamming the doorThere were so many stars she couldn’t count them allLooking out her bedroom windowFinding new friends in school

As the year progressed the days got shorterVisiting her aunt’s houseGetting a boyfriend and going steadyBrushing her teethHer dog diesGetting an electric shockRiding the bus to schoolEntering the drama clubHer boyfriend’s little sisterGoing to camp over the summerThe sound of the record player in the living roomThe air felt thick that morningBecoming sick — not going to schoolMaking out

Getting a younger sister — thinking to herselfGetting scaredGoing to parties oftenEntering high schoolHearing static while talking on the phoneTaking care of her little sisterAfter gym she was very tiredBurning herself while cooking

Hearing her parents argue

Hearing her parents

GUA ER

Hearing

S TA T

Going to parties oftenEntering high school

Taking care of her little sisterAfter gym she was very tiredBurning herself while cookingThe telephone ringing in the hallwaySpending the summer at a beach houseThe ocean seemed endlessA large man passing her on the sidewalkThinking about the people she has yet to meetLearning to drive a car

Hearing static while talking on the phone

while talking on the phone

I C

the sound of an

Remembering the time she hurt herself skiingFamily moves to a new neighborhood

Taking a bathBecoming interested in historyFantasizing about marriageThe dining room table set for eatingGoing to the moviesHugging her fatherEntering college, moving away from homeHer roommateFalling asleep while studyingHer roommate’s home townThe amount of time it takes to walk to schoolMajoring in history in collegeGetting a boyfriend

Staying up, watching the sunrise from her rooftopCutting her hairStudying the history of her countryGetting married in the afternoon

The sound of an airplane flying overhead

The sound of the record player in the next room

flying overhead

A I R P L NEA

the sound of the

DOECR RRYLP EA

playing in the next room

Their front doorQuitting schoolMoving to a new houseHer husband’s familyThe manhole in the streetThinking of her in–lawsHer husband’s workBoiling water while cookingGetting a job for herselfLooking at herself in the mirrorReceiving a letter from her parentsHaving her wisdom teeth removedWatching the light refract through the kitchen windowEating lunchA pencil on her desk at workKnowing she is going to have a babyThinking of her parentsHer baby is bornMoving to a larger houseThere is lots of green around the new houseHer husband’s mouthStubbing her toe while runningHer son’s baby shoesFebruary twenty–sixthFeeling thirsty one hot afternoon

TFeeling thirsty one hot afternoonHer husband’s bossAnother birthday, she is getting olderGetting her hands wetThinking about her son’s lifeMaking love with her husbandSmelling the fresh autumn airThinking of her childhoodThe telephone wiresHer son’s learning to walkThe people living next doorTrying to find her glassesThe covers on their bedHaving another baby, a girlNot eating very muchShe only had an hour to get homeHer son’s school work

The noise from a large

T

RU CKT

Visiting her husband’s sister

Her daughter’s fourth birthdayGoing shoppingLooking at herself in the mirrorHer thirty–forth birthdaySensing that her son is in dangerRenewing an interest in historyHer daughter’s left handTaking a shower Dreaming that she spoke a foreign languageThinking of her husband’s childhoodAn object in the back seat of their carThe floor she stands onOctober fifthHer husband shaved regularlyTraveling to a large cityHer son’s graduationTaking a photographReading a book in the studyHer husband’s current incomeDropping a dish — watching it breakKissing her husbandThe days seemed to be going by fasterHaving trouble breathingThe new living room furnitureThe sidewalk around the corner Touching the wall

The noise from a large truck

Her father dies, sudden griefThe backyard flooded during a heavy rainLooking at herself in the mirrorHer son’s marriageBrushing her teethStarting a gardenHer daughter’s graduationThe broken glass in the basement doorSwimmingAn itch in the lower part of her backHer daughter’s school in a foreign countrySpending half the year at the oceanLooking at a photograph of herself as a childBeing scared to enter a dark roomHaving a grandchildFeeling olderRemembering schooldaysA glass of waterThey have retiredTheir son’s independenceTouching herselfCooking a “hearty meal”Forgetting her ageTheir houseGoing for a trip around the worldHair turning whiteHer daughter’s marriageWorking at her deskWondering where that person lives

Being visited by her daughter–in–law’s parentsNoticing that the sky is a light shade of blueThe red car down the blockCatching her breathWatching TVTaking a nap in the hot sunMy husband diesMovingThinking about her eventual deathScaring the dog by slamming the doorA family reunion during ChristmasGoing for a walk in the gardenFeeling old, not caringLooking at her feetNot being able to see clearlyBleeding after skinning her kneeThinking of the faces of her parentsCooking vegetablesThe door between her and her sister’s roomLooking at her eyes in the mirrorThe floor she stands onThinking of her husbandLooking at herself in the mirrorThinking of her deathHer death

This accordian style book was designed by Tiffany Kimin the fall of 2012 for Word and Image I Studioat Washington University in St. Louis.Typeface used is Helvetica and Chaparral Pro.