This poetic sequence is built around 15 typos, a hilariously plausible definition for each, and spam. Every time one clicks on the button, the program generates two short poems that incorporate the typo and offers a definition for it, each framed by a box, positioned in visually diverse ways and shifting previously generated “typeoms.” It seems like the 3 or 4 word titles are generated from the same Spam site as used in “Spam Heart,” and the poems are generated on a handful of templates and line structures, inserting and featuring the typo in boldface.
The amazing thing about this whimsical piece is how well it all holds together. These typos seem quite at home in their short generated poems, perhaps because a century of Modern and Postmodern poetry has trained readers to take interpretive leaps on seemingly non sequitur juxtapositions. And while most readers won’t read on randomly generated works closely, Jhave provides enough structure and enough of a guiding mind to make it worth the leap.
