Steven Karl

Terror Face

b   
e   t
c   o   c
a   s    o   b
u   t     u  e                  t       w          
s    o     l   c                 h       e
e      p   d    a              e                         t
w   b      n     u                     a
e    e     o          s         t        r               e
w   c    t              e       e        e
a     a    t        o            r                        r
n      u    h     u            r
t        s      e    r           o        t               r
e         e      t     p         r        h
d           o     e      a                e              o
t           u         r      r  
h         r        r        e     o                       r
e         p     o         n      r
t         a    r           t
e        r                s
r        e             a
r        n              r
o       t                 e
r        s


b   
e   t
c   o   c
a   s    o   b
u   t     u  e                  t       w          
s    o     l   c                 h       e
e      p   d    a              e                         t
w   b      n     u                     a
e    e     o          s         t        r               e
w   c    t              e       e        e
a     a    t        o            r                        r
n      u    h     u            r
t        s      e    r           o        t               r
e         e      t     p         r        h
d           o     e      a                e              o
t           u         r      r  
h         r        r        e     o                       r
e         p     o         n      r
t         a    r           t
e        r                s
r        e             a
r        n              r
o       t                 e
r        s

Terror Face


be ca us e
a ra ge
a te rr ib le
te rr or up on th e pa ge
or fa mi ly hi st or y th e
un sp ok en un wr it te n
no w ta tt oo ed
pe rm an en tl y
up on ag in g sk in



Digital Terror Babble


In a psychological &
emotional context terror
is an intense &
overwhelming 
feeling

of fear 

or dread 

                                              

dread fear: feeling of/or feeling as/intense terror/
overwhelm/overwhelming/overwhelmed/
or dread feeling/fear or/of intense terror/
overwhelmed/overwhelming/overwhelm/

In a as an emotion
In a as a nonphysical
In a as a context
In a as a terror
In a as an intense


Terror is often 
characterized by 
sense of 
imminent danger 
or a threat 
perceived as extremely 
frightening 

                                                      It is often sense of

                                                      It is often sense of danger

                                                      It is often sense of imminent danger

                                                      It is often sense of frightening

                                                      It is often perceived sense of extremity

                                                      It is often terror’s extremity perceived 

senseoffrightneningoftensenseofdangerperceivedasanimminentdangeritisoft
-enfrighteningsenseofextremityperceivedterrorsenseofdangerasanintenseof


When someone experiences 
terror their body & 
mind may react 
in a number of (un)
acceptable ways such 
as: increased 
heart 
rate 
trembling 
& strong 
desire to 
escape or 
protect oneself 
from perceived 
threat

                                                         Terror/their body/increased trembling/
Terror/ their mind/ increased/ desire to/
Terror/ their heart/ various/ways protect/
Terror their/threat/escape desire/from/
 Terror/their threat/various mind/
Terror their/strong song/increased desire to/

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Trembling increased body their terror

To desire increased mind their terror

Protect ways various heart their terror

From desire escape threat their terror

Mind various threat their terror

To desire increased song strong their terror



Read more about these poems.


Steven Karl is the author of three poetry books,  I HRT the Cult Years: Empty Empire of Aftersong (VA Press, 2024),  Sister (Noemi Press, 2016), and Dork Swagger. He is the author of several chapbooks including If Your Lungs Are Skyed Make the Scar Song Echo Until All The Winged Things Bleed Your Poetry (Bloof Books, 2023). His creative nonfiction has been published in or is forthcoming from LIT, The Spectacle, Maiden Magazine, and the e-book, The First Time I heard My Bloody Valentine. Originally from Philadelphia, he divides his time between Boston and Tokyo.