Ren Pike
Objective Questions
Choose a fragment from Column B that best completes Column A. Each fragment may be used only once. This is time-limited. Don’t get paralyzed by indecision. If future stratigraphers find your bones, they will likely still be arguing about clear demarcation of the Anthropocene.
Column A
Formalism
Real men
After things stopped spinning, everyone
They tried, but still, each one
The crypt was open and family members
Loneliness lingered; it
They called him Mister, before they
He liked them best, those who
First, he whined and then he
The elephant in the room
Coffee pot in hand, she
He dreamt of retirement, even as he
The conspiracists
Nobody knows what he meant; his teeth
The cabin was where they all
It’s a mystery why she
(a) smelled of death.
(b) trampled all that was.
(c) made a fortune.
(d) picked those last juicy berries.
(e) bashed a way in and killed the heir.
(f) unfurled, one petal at a time.
(g) broke the only key.
(h) poured the wine and smashed the cup.
(i) fucking lied.
(j) furred up like costly felt.
(k) solved the crossword one last time.
(l) loved a good story.
(m) sank into the depths.
(n) failed to notice.
(o) frolicked while the city burned.
(p) made garlands from cherry stems.
Column B