Home › Glossary › Letter Z

Zero-line poem

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A conceptual poem existing only through its title, frame, or implied absence, inviting readers to imagine the unwritten text.

Detailed Definition
A zero-line poem is a conceptual or visual work that consists of absence—such as a blank page, erased text, or implied silence—challenging notions of authorship and meaning by foregrounding the void, inviting readers to contemplate what is unsaid, omitted, or erased as poetic content.
Example
Example in poetry:
Zero-line poem: Conceptual poems consisting of blank space or title only; “Untitled (Silence)” implies absence; Zero-line poems challenge definitions of poetry; Associated with avant-garde and Fluxus movements
Additional Notes
Conceptual poem with no visible lines or text, existing as idea or performance. Related to concrete poetry and conceptual art. Challenges traditional definitions of poetry. Study Fluxus movement and avant-garde poetics.
Also Known As
Null poem Blank verse piece Empty poetry Absence poem
Skip to main content