I’m taking as my source text the first letter ever written on a typewriter. Here it is:
And here is my erasure poem:
specimen of You
inaccuracies in the imperfect machine
made of no proper inventor
the principles of pain
I know well
the opera
of the rough machine
which now will be rank with use,
as well as age
respect your servent
Word Florilegium 
“the principles of pain/ I know well” was my favorite line. I like how the voice of this felt like an elderly man addressing a baby. That was my interpretation anyway. Nice work, and welcome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can kind of see someone rising to a podium to make this speech. Writing this way is so fun, isn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
For sure – it seems to me a process of discovery more than a process of creation/composition.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Rank with use as well as age” is very descriptive of how my body feels some days. Perhaps the last line is an elder requesting the respect he deserves?
LikeLiked by 1 person
so many perhapses… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with Nate that “the principles of pain/I know well” was really strong. Certainly, the perception of being aged and world-weary comes through well here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love how this poem is speaking to each reader differently! It’s the type of piece that does not lead you to a conclusion, but makes you think for yourself. Nice work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fun idea to take the first letter as your starting point! I liked what you did but the last line confused me – I wasn’t sure what it meant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just finished a book that gave examples of surrealistic writing and “the opera/of the rough machine” reminded me of those samples.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Knowing this was from the first typewritten page gave me a different perspective. I could see it as coming from a person, but I could also see it as a piece of scifi – coming from some kind of machine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
bingo! that’s my take, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really loved this: inaccuracies in the imperfect machine / made of no proper inventor
nature is imperfect; Humans are imperfect; and thereby what humans make is imperfect. That last line can be really eerie if you are thinking in a ghost in the machine scifi vein.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that the last word seems misspelled.
LikeLike
i love this like humbert loved his Lo: who would now be rank with use as well as age.
LikeLiked by 1 person