An Anthology of Post-Anthropocene Poetry : An Introduction to the Text
The texts contained within this collection date from the last throes of the Anthropocene era, around the time known to current historians as The Fall. Some are believed to originate from just before this global occurrence and some immediately succeeding. It is difficult to provide accurate dates for a period commonly known as the New Dark Ages.
Only four of the texts here are considered complete: the first, entitled Fragments from Before the Fall, is believed to have been pieced together contemporaneously making it a particularly thrilling find; the short pieces Hunting and Weather are also considered complete, as is the artifact entitled CLAP. This text, which some scholars claim originated from a diary entry posted onto the International Network, has the appearance of poetry but, like most of the pieces in this collection, one cannot be certain of the author’s intentions. For this reason, it is hard to determine the original meaning or syntax, but the text presented here is considered more authentic than in previous collections.
The subject matter of CLAP, like many of the other texts contained within this collection, reference the first of several worldwide viral pandemics during the early 21st Century (B.F.). Other texts refer to similar contemporaneous events such as the first stages of global environmental collapse, the series of seismic shifts which heralded the post-Anthropocene era, known colloquially as ‘The Fall’. This anthology presents a fascinating insight into humanity’s reaction and response to these catastrophic events and provides an illuminating lesson for current readers interested not only in the history but culture of those times.
Where words are missing or indecipherable due to water or fire damage, they have not been added to the text; it is presented ‘as found’. Where research has provided sufficient evidence of the author’s intention, these words have been presented within square brackets. Similarly, where titles are not certain but are suggested from ephemera or notes found near or associated with the text, these have been placed inside brackets. Where there is insufficient evidence or certainty, titles have not been added, so as not to influence the experience of the reader’s interaction with these rare found texts.
JP Seabright, Lúndūn, Year of the Fall: +09
Fragments from Before the Fall 