By the fourth line, the drone stops.
The first three lines are a chant of near-silence. Read each "zzzz" as the sound of a held breath, a motor running, a radio between stations, the hum of a refrigerator at 3 a.m. Four z's, a space. Four z's, a space. Four z's, a space. Then: . zzzz zzzz zzzz word
The Drone Before the Word
No z's. Just the word "word" — singular, stark, dropped into the white space like a stone into a sleeping pool. If read aloud: The first three lines are a monotone hum (soft, unvoiced), each "zzzz" clipped equally. The final "word" is spoken clearly, with weight. Then silence. By the fourth line, the drone stops
zzzz zzzz zzzz word zzzz zzzz zzzz word zzzz zzzz zzzz word By the fourth line