Sleeping with the Dictionary

“Sleeping with the Dictionary” links poetry with sex. The word “verse,” which refers to poetry, is embedded throughout the poem. For instance, in the second sentence, “verse” appears in the words “well-versed” and “averse”; “vers” appears in “versatile” and “conversant”; and “ver” appears in “verbal.” These variations on the word and its syllables/roots remind the reader of the dictionary. Furthermore, the link between verse and sexuality becomes more blatant in the word “perverse,” in the sixth sentence. When broken down, “per” can mean “for each” or “by means of,” so “perverse” can indicate seduction by means of verse, or in units of verse. This deconstruction of language is part of Mullen’s intimacy with not just complete words, but also syllables and sounds.

Mullen explicitly mentions syllables in the fourth sentence. The dictionary contains “accented syllables,” which poets use when writing metered verse. The accent marks show which syllables are stressed or unstressed. The dictionary offers a visual representation of how words are pronounced. Meter is linked to the auditory, or how words are heard when spoken. Mullen’s poem, as one paragraph of prose, does not use meter, but her mention of accented syllables aligns spoken poetry with sexual acts that use the mouth.