the beginning of suffering is species accordance
the beginning of suffering is echo dislocation
the beginning of suffering is experimentation
the beginning of suffering is interspecies vivisection
the beginning of suffering is eco sideshow
the beginning of suffering is the unvandalizable tombstone
the beginning of suffering is the identified species
the beginning of suffering is there aren’t enough words except there are
the begging is suffering enough enough words except there aren’t
(keep going)
the beginning of darkness was the fruitmaster
the beginning of darkness was the crusades was the fruit-bearing beggars
the beginning of darkness was the creator of the multiverse
the beginning of darkness was the dowry
the beginning of darkness was the creation of the post-universe box tray
the beginning of darkness was pollution’s pollen that lined it from the bridge to the mail depot
the beginning of darkness was the whispering tollboothers like future furniture hidden as girl bandits, conniving under bridges for the despots’ downfall
the beginning of darkness was the motive, toil
(keep going)
(and x will mark the spot)
the beginning of empire was mantel
the beginning of empire was the handheld portmanteau
the beginning of empire was the message titular & textile
the beginning of empire was the fightable stonetiler of the wounded salttiller of the teratogenic librarie
the beginning of empire was year ten mud changed entry harbors
the beginning of empire was sugar fleet & the flee
the beginning of empire was street which we’ll walk upon at least for today invisible to each other by threaded miles
(keep going)
the beginning of nature is mama
the beginning of nature is smoke
the beginning of nature is abyss
the beginning of nature is tree gutting through the upholstered copper dome
the beginning of nature is the unscore
the beginning of nature is the cut
the beginning of nature is this is where you hurt me
the beginning of nature is the automaton spy’s deadbolt
the beginning of nature is the sun cream over a perfunctory eyelid
the beginning of nature is mama
the beginning of nature is wail
(keep going)
—
Valerie Hsiung is the author of three full-length poetry collections, the latest of which is e f g (Action Books, 2016). Individual poems can be found in or are forthcoming from The Nation, The Believer, jubilat, Chicago Review, Poetry Northwest, Bennington Review, Sonora Review, Pinwheel, PEN America, and beyond. The winner of the 2019 Kay Murphy Prize, she has performed her little poetry theater at Treefort Music Festival, DC Arts Center, Common Area Maintenance, Poetic Research Bureau, Shapeshifter Lab, and Silent Barn. Born and raised by Chinese-Taiwanese immigrants in southern Ohio, she is nowadays based out of New York.