Emergency Department Aftercare Instructions
//The Sexual Reproduction of Birds and Fish
#define at.birth
var array = [x; xx; xy; yy; zz; zw;]
void (set-up) {
life.begin
}
void (loop) {
if (bird) {
flicker finger flight;
} else if (cloaca) {
a common cavity;
} else {
prepared receptacle;
} else {
spiral shooter;
}
if (fish) {
histriophic.viviparity(womb feed);
} else if (ovuliparity) {
external fertilization;
} else if (oviparity) {
cum(cloud/murk*swim);
} else if (blank) {
do nothing;
}
if ([i] =< chromosome) {
radiant.x, radiant.y;
} else if ([i] >= chromeo) {
chrome limo;
} else if ([i] == chromo.dome) {
filthy feathers;
dull itchy scales;
} else if (brass) {
little male figure;
wrinkly toadstool guy;
} else if (belly) {
henna on a shell;
a rare whale breath;
} else if (bowel) {
hips without thighs;
thighs without hips;
}
}
The Spontaneous Sentence Production of Genie
Curtiss, Susan. “The Linguistic Development of Genie the Feral Child.” Language, 1974, pp. 133–137.
yellow balloon
wet blouse
big feet
bad boys
love Marilyn
like powder
shake hand
stocking white
Curtiss sick
Genie love Curtiss
want more soup
Mark mouth hurt
Valerie mother coat
Valerie mother purse
Little white clear box
small two cup
little bad boy
No more father
No more take wax
No more have
Cereal kitchen
Play gym
Want go shopping
Like chew meat
Want buy toy refrigerator
Want go walk Ralph
On chair
Genie laughing
Curtiss coughing
Tori eating bone
Grandma gave me cereal
Took off
Like horse behind fence
Like good Harry at hospital
I like wheelchair in hospital
In hospital, shot hurt arm
After dinner have cookie
Curtiss give me valentine
Grandma gave me cereal
Grandpa give me cookie chew
Another house have dog
Another house blue car
Willie slap my face
My house
My pennies
No more have
No more ear hurt
No like hospital
No stay hospital
Not have orange record
Not good fish tank
Stephanie Lane Sutton is a Michener Fellow in the University of Miami’s Creative Writing MFA Program. Previously, she lived in Chicago, where she studied poetry at Columbia College Chicago and was a teaching artist with After School Matters. She was born in Detroit. Her poems have recently appeared in Day One, Arsenic Lobster, Moonsick Magazine, Tinderbox Poetry, THRUSH Poetry Journal, and Jai-Alai Magazine. She is a co-founding editor of |tap| lit mag.