Week 10: Duplex

in lonesome darkness

Week 10: Duplex

the body rests in lonesome darkness

Duplex

Description: This poem is a stark, unsettling meditation on division within the self. Using the image of a duplex, it frames the body as a split dwelling—two sides existing in parallel but incomplete states. The repetition and abrupt fragmentation suggest disconnection, violence, or psychic rupture, inviting the reader to confront themes of duality, dissociation, and the uneasy coexistence of opposing selves within a single body. The sparseness of the language amplifies the sense of absence and unfinished meaning, making the division itself the poem’s central force.

Reflection: Do you ever feel divided between your head and your heart? Is there one side you take up residence in more than the other? What would need to get reconnected or repaired, to have your head and heart living peacefully under one roof?

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