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: .
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. zzzz zzzz zzzz word
By the fourth line, the drone stops.
The Drone Before the Word
zzzz zzzz zzzz word zzzz zzzz zzzz word zzzz zzzz zzzz word The first three lines are a chant of near-silence