monoconsonance

“monoconsonance” is a response to/inversion of Christian Bök’s Griffin Poetry Prize–winning Eunoia (Coach House Books, 2001), a collection of univocalics with a chapter dedicated to each vowel. In “monoconsonance” the constraint has been inverted, so that text requires twenty-one chapters, each written using words limited to a single consonant. As with Bök’s attempt (in which he uses 98 percent of the available words for each chapter), I have endeavored to exhaust the lexicon allowed by the constraints imposed and, in this way, to respond to this issue’s themes of maximalism, completeness, and exhaustion. In order to achieve this there were two distinct stages in the process of developing the work. The first was research-focused and required the assemblage of a list of available words for each consonant, constructed through the consultation of assorted dictionaries. Following the completion of these lists the second stage involved the composition of each chapter through the arrangement of available words. Where possible, chapters are formally guided by one or more of these available words: the Ode for Chapter D; the miscellaneous collection that is Chapter L’s Olio; Chapter M taking the form of a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU]; and Chapter P an (admittedly brief) epic poem, or Epopee/Epopoeia.
 

B

Boo!
A bub, a babe, a bubba, a bobo, a babi — Bea!
Ibibio Abe, beau! Baboo Bob!
Abbé Abie!
A bi-boi, Abbie!

Oboe boo a boo-boo, Babu baa a boo baubee bio.

O bibb Euboeau Bia! O Bia, bibb Baiae, bibb Ube!

Ob ebb, bob                                                                            Bío-Bío ebb, bob
                                            Aube ebb, bob
A boubou boo-boo, O ab buba bubu: boa boob bib bob abb aba, obi, buibui
            boob/bubo
Boab beau bee.
Baobab beau bee.
Ouabaui beau bee.
I bib oba, a baba, a boba.

Obia be Ba, be abba, be a beebee.

C

Ace, cue a cee:
Ecce cui, Coué?
Coo a coocoo cooee, cooee a coocoo coo.
Ice Iça, ice Cauca.
Ca-ca cue coccaceae caeca (ceca).
Cue aecia, occa, oca, acacia, cocco. Cue coccic cocci, acai, ceci, cocoa, cacao.
Caa écu.
Ciao

D

Idea Odea Ode
(oud, Di #)

Did Dee dude Ed?
Dead ideaed dad died, deeded a deed, a dud doodad, a due, a didie; added eide, oidia, udo, eddo, audio id ad (a Dada dido), a dado aidoi-oda (oda dadoed, Aoede eddied aid, ado)
Adad did add a dodded doe duo, a duddie audad duad, a ooid doo, a duded dude, odd ide, deid aoudad, a dodo …
I aided iodid, I did, I’d added a daud o’ iodide — addio oidiod diiodide!
Dae a diad deed Adie a diode dee aide?

Da.

F

Fee-Fi-Fo a off-oof fee fo’ fu faa if a fou oaf of feu, UFO foe, fuff, faff fief of a feoffee faff.
Fee fae a feoff a feu. Eff off! Fie! Oof!
Off a fifi, off a auf. Off fife fife ef, fife fa …

G

A age ago, aga ugg agog, ogee gag gag ague gage.

Guga egg goo agee, go-go aiga gauge a gauge, gouge a gouge, egg: ‘Gee!’

Go gig a gaga ogee gue gigue gig.

Ag Gau aggie agōgē geo goa age a gogga.

Agio gee a geggie euge.

Ego gae; ego gie.

H

Hie, hoe a ha-ha.
He hae a hoe, a hioi, a ohia, a huia, a huhu, a ahi, a Hao, Ohio …
Hui a hoha hoo-ha hue:
Ho Ho Ho
            Oho
Aha
            Haha
Hi                    Uh
Oh
            Ah
                        Ooh
Huh
            Eh
Hah

J

Jiao ajee, ja?

Jee! Jai!

Ijo OJ, Joe joe jo

Jeu ouija juju.

K

Ok:
Auk eke kae eke kaka eke kea eke koi, akee eke koa eke oak.
OK Ka, OK Ki.
A Keokuk kaie; a kook — eek! — a uke
Kukukuku kuai eke oka/oke kai.

L

Olio:

Looie Louie lulliloo a la — lall ell lill — a lie lieu alalia.

Auloi lee lull Eli — ’ello ’ello.

Ole Elle loll a li, a ell — olé! — ill Elli oil ale, Alleluia!

Lou ollie el, ilia, alula, ala, alulae, all alae.

L.A allée luau lie eel ilea aioli, olea oil, oleo, eale … I’ll LOL.

Illeal allele ail Lala Leo.

Lo! Leu, ulu, a loo alee.

Lea: aloe, aalii, u’le, aal lei.

M

A MOU:

Emo ouma momma moe MO moo mumma miaou mommie maa mammie O mum O mom O ma, ama, O Maia, O amie, O Emma, O mamma mamme ammo.

I’m oom, I’m eme, I’m Mao, a moue Moai! A mome, om imam, ami I am me, moi, momi.

Muumuu mummia mumm a memo: mu em mem meme.

Mime a Mama Mia mi a mooi Miami mo mae.

Mimeo AMU, aim — mum — maim a, um, moa, emu, amia, a momum, meu, mammee, maomao, mee, umami umu mumu.

N

Inane Anne Ana

Anne, nan, Anna’n’nanna in a union, nu-eunoia uni (no eina, no ennui, nae, na, none).

Nonane on nonene, ion on anion, ionone on inion, noo inia.

An un-neon ninon on no Ainu, one Ann né Anne, anon, a nun.

A nan, one onion, an annona, an anana, nine anoa, ane anianiau, a neinei, a nanua, an unau, an unai, a nunu, a noonoo, an ani —                       ONO

(Nine en in an aune?!)

One e’en in an aeonian noon an eoan eon, NE, ENE? An aeon Anne’n’I ain.

In ainee UN naoi a non-Union Anne, a union Ann, onie Anna.

P

Epopee/Epopoeia:

Oupa pup a papa; papa pup a pop; pop pup a poppa; poppa pop a pa; pa pip pipe épée — pupae, papiopio — pee pia op!
Pioupiou ape oppo, a pup app pop piu pep.
Pipi ope, peep a paua pupu pepo pea pie (poi)
Pope pap pop up apo-po, upo poop — O poo!
O … Pi … Pe … Opepe appui apoop, piopio pupa poupe, pop-up pappi piupiu poep.
Pip pip.
 

Q

A quiaquia queue IQ EQ.


A quai qi, aquae qua aqua.

R

Oorie ruru aerie, eerie are area.
Aero riroriro rue uraei or orra ree.
Ria rear our araara roe.
Aurei are aurar are rei are euro are euro (er, a roo).
Rear Ur ora air a roué or a Raia or Ra.
Ear ere era: roar oar roarier aria or ire error or rai roar Reo or a roar.
Arriero arear airier raree-arrière.
Roarer, rearer, or ruer err eerier? Air oar aura; aurae, air.
Ourari, ourie urare, ourier urari.
Arar or arere are a oraria airer.
Rare ura ore, rare urea ore, rare aurora, rarer aurorae.
Aerier arrear.

S

Sous-Asa seises osseus assai ossa oes.

Susu assess iOS OSes, sae ease is as esse — SOS!

USS USA asea, Issei as Aias, see a U.S. os, see sissoo esses, assais oose’s use.

Sosa’s sis sosses ais, a sai, a sei … Sese! Sessa!

Euouaes ease ossia si.

OS SE seas souse oases’ sasses as a sous-sous.

Esau sues Isai, eses sue Issa.

Sui assesses Asia as so-so sesses use asses’ sous so us suss sissies — ous as assessees, as asses — issue issues as sosses, as suss, as sass.

T 

Auto auto, autoette, ute ETA tae Tao?

A toutie tui tout oat tote to eat to a tot tit, ta.

Outeat taata at tea.

Otto ate out a tatou, a tatu, a tuatua, a ataata, uta, a tai, a tattie, a tatie, a tot, a teat, a tat, it …

Tie toetoe to toitoi at Eta Ait tee.

Aitu tattoo atua a tattoo to tote a tête-a-tête, tutee to tutee, a tute, a tête-a-tête tut-tut tattoo: te tut ti tut ut tut toot!

Toea utu iota at tet.

Toe etui, attuite Tau, Iota …

A tite taut tautit tutti.

V

Vav via vee via vau …

Ave! Viva Eva! Evo evoe!

A IV UVA via uvea viva ova ava, a voe, a vae.

Eve eave vie Eve uva — uvae! — avo, avo …

Evovae
 

W

Waiwai iwi awe.

Wo! A wawe o’ woe awa, wae awa, we owe a wee waw wow.

Woo a ewe awee, eww! Ow! Wowee!

Aw, wee-wee a wawa wai.

X

Ex axe xu, axe euxoa, axe ox, axe ixia, axe oxea, axe Xi.

Y

Aye-aye!
Yo!
Ay!
Oy!

Yu eye you, yea? Aye!

Yay! Ya ayu eye yoyo ye Uey.
 

Z

A zoo zoa, ZooZoo zooeae zoea, zoeae, zoaea, zoaeae ooze ouzo.

Ozzie Zee-‘za a azo zuz.

Zeze zizz.

zzzz