decomp journal ezine #4
(en)visionary futures
“ECHO”
by E.A. Midnight
“ECHO*” traces a capture, a polaroid snap of time as it moves through and away from itself. In this piece, the primary thread of the essay is that of the female narrator processing in real time the invasive experience of receiving an echocardiogram from a male technician. Her mental spiraling and shame ebbs and flows, as the fascination with the procedure is in direct contrast with her desire to have the whole thing end. This causes her to move through two other threads of memory instead of staying present in the experience. The first strand the reader encounters is a running route the narrator enjoys, in which she moves through a tunnel painted into an extensive mural. This braid of the story (while a kind of running away from the procedure) ends up being a contemplation of a sonic echo, which in turn brings her back into her body (as all runs also bring you back). The second thread is a rumination on the “echo” command in computing, which allows the narrator to think of herself halved – the part of her lying on the table and her ghost self which keeps trying to escape the body. While it is easy to assume this piece is about one thing, the braided pieces invite the reader into the deeper question of the trajectory of one’s life and how we approach living within the self. The word "echo" throughout this piece is more than just test being performed, more than a delay of sound, more than a command; it is also a call inside for the narrator (and out to the reader) to investigate the embodiment of fear mashed up with a kind of hope, which is in a way, a love note to survival.
As a person who survives and thrives within neurodivergence, I believe strongly in decomp’s mission of deconstructing traditional institutions and ideas to make room for that which ruminates on alternative discourse, encourages complexity, and ensures collaboration. This piece, and my work in general, endeavors to cultivate a space in which the reader is able to embody (and thus have compassion for and understanding of) new perspectives, especially those of folx living with mental illness.
“Nature’s Way”
by Janis Butler Holm
These haiku were written with the world's current autocratic threats in mind.
“Banished Bereavement of the Boundlessly Burdened”
by Bridget Lorraine
While envisioning the future of our world, I found myself thinking about the impact that technology might have and how it could be increased in some many areas, mainly large institutions, medicine, and policing, almost to a 'Big Brother' level. The main character in this fictitious story tries to test the extent of perfection the new and improved city has promised, but ends up finding out the true corruption in the system and what they are willing to turn a blind eye to.
“The Burning”
by Kathryn Lauret
This story illustrates how the public school system struggles to provide support to neurodivergent students.
“Speculations of the Specular Saltation”
by V.S. Rakenduvadhana
The broadest themes of my work emanate from my polyamory to art, philosophy and science. The fundamental emphasis of my work is to refrain from dissecting these three. This is ostensibly a stance that contradicts the majority of compartmentalized art/poetry in the society that exploits the excuse of accessibility to adhere to the familiar. Hence, I believe I represent a marginalized creative population.
“762X39”
by Howie Good
My handmade collages are intended as a rebuke to the lifeless perfection of Photoshopped images. They are also intended to provoke an authentic response by combining images in a way that challenges old habits of seeing.