In Rus Khomutoff’s Kaos Karma, meaning shimmers just out of sight, on the edge of a colorful, nebulous atmosphere.
The book contains a collection of under 20 poems, each presented entirely in bold capital letters. Each word thus carries equal weight and all come together to create a sonic and imagistic impression.
Certain themes and phrases recur throughout the book. We see words like “chaos” (or “kaos”), “ghostflesh,” “technoromance,” “love,” and “sacrifice” in multiple poems. This pulls out motifs of the collection: spirituality and the odd/paranormal, imagination and dreaming, emotions and the quest for human connection.
The title, Kaos Karma subverts the concept of logical cause and effect and consequences of one’s actions. Instead of tracing one’s present circumstances or future destiny to one’s own choices, human experience seems much less linear.
Yet, chaos does not imply a nihilistic void, empty of all reason or meaning. The mathematical concept of chaos theory involves self-organizing natural systems whose development seems random but which may well be tied to initial conditions we do not fully understand.
In a similar vein, Rus Khomutoff’s Kaos Karma is built around motifs that permeate its atmosphere. These suggest layers of feelings and impressions that approach meanings while intriguing and tantalizing the senses.
Worth a read.
Rus Khomutoff’s Kaos Karma will be published soon from C22 Press. https://c22press.wordpress.com/open-editions/