Shorthand for Disentanglements: 21st Century Edition

In shorthand, words are written as they are pronounced. Know is written no, say is written sa, sew is written so (GREGG Shorthand Manual Simplified, 1949).

Spk n ful sentncs. 
Sa no.  Dn’t sa, no
thnk u.  He wl tak
dat as ys. Kep wlkn.
Trn 2 & 1/2 tims
2wrds d wst setn sun. 
Dnce nkd ndr strt lites,
ther spdr-bems netn
ur colrbons, burng
ur skn slik trnslucnt. 
If he stil dosn’t ndrstnd,
dn’t txt bak, let
d blnk glo of hs fone
bite shados n2 hs lips.

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Anastasia Stelse is a native of southeastern Wisconsin, the former assistant editor for The Intentional, and a graduate from the MFA program at American University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in creative writing at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Writers. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Poet Lore, Sou’wester, New South, Fairy Tale Review, and Crab Orchard Review, among others.