Cartographies of Silence

Cartographies of Silence comprises over 100 untitled poem fragments-what the poet calls 'unconscious interruptions'-that navigate maps of being/non-being, writing/speaking/thinking, to reveal the mind-body experience where silence meets language.Poems include:the time you need in your bodyto do your work heremy bodyan exploding stupamy breatha sutra of silenceandor in the spaces betweenopening your whole attentionwhile listeningtouchingbreathinner beingfocusfeel the soundblessed audiblysaturated with passive formmy body will break opennext timeyou will feel the body of spaceinside this bodyadvance into the light

Erik Vatne Erik Vatne was born and raised in New Jersey. He attended Bard College (BA), University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin (M. Phil.). His poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals, including The Paris Review, Barrow Street, Brooklyn Review and Poetry Ireland Review. He was shortlisted for the Strokestown International Poetry Prize (Ireland) in 2007.