MAGIC WORDS houses as traps for demons. The text was written in the shape of an inward turning spiral. The demon, only ever able to read in one direction, would follow the spell in its irresistible progression and end trapped, hard in the centre. The first ever visual poetry. And one with a purpose. What is poetry for? For catching the dark things at the back of our heads and fixing them for all to see" ("Sound Poetry" [200 ]). Abacaba-Dabacaba (see also abba and abracadabra) Mystique: Reminiscent of the quintessential magic word abracadabra and an equally-rich alternative to it, Abacaba-Dabacaba represents a fractal pattern, "one of the fundamental patterns in our universe" that structures such things as our music, art, poetry, and geometry. Fractal diagrams often look like trees, with offshoots branching out progressively. "It's fun to think about how every decision we make leads us in a new direction, as if our lives are an infinite fractal tree," suggests fractal expert Michael Naylor. He explains the pattern inherent in the word Abacaba-Dabacaba: Figure 5. Abacaba-dabacaba builds progressively like a fractal tree. The various-length marks on a ruler illustrate the pattern. 6 Michael Naylor, "Abacada-Dabacaba!" (2005)