Hello poet,
It is here- the cusp between hot and cool, lush and sparse, saturated and dry. I bet you have 4 or 5 other Substack letters in your inbox today talking about the seasonal shift that’s upon us. Why don’t we all ditch whatever screen is in front of us and dash outside for a minute (or 10)? I for one have been spending WAY too much time in front of screens lately. Fall begs me to, nay, demands that I remedy this… let’s throw open the door, or at least the windows, to whatever is out there.
a cento with Eliza Minot
Cento is a style of poem I am currently working with closely. It helps me formulate new ideas with the help of other artists I admire. A definition from poets.org: From the Latin word for “patchwork,” the cento (or collage poem) is a poetic form composed entirely of lines from poems by other poets.
Below, an example, written with excerpts (both line fragments and individual words) from Eliza Minot’s In the Orchard. (Not a book of poetry by design, but buddy, does it read like prose).
breathing machination
the oceans bulge to one side of the earth, then the other
indistinguishable corners, dark blue
contained and calm
waxing, waning
wild sounds
murmurs
a poem
vital and strange
a prompt
I’m curious, what are you currently reading that you are thoroughly enjoying? What are you loving so much that you could write a poem with what you find between the covers? Write your own cento! I’d love to read it in the comments section, along with whatever it is you’re reading… I just finished my last book of interest and am longing for another (poetry, fiction, memoir, anything).
offerings
The Poetry Journals is not the place I intend to discuss my postpartum and matrescence work in depth, but I did want to let you know that my books are now open for both in-home postpartum support and virtual 1:1 matrescence mentorship. If you or a loved one might appreciate a companion for the early days, weeks, months and years of parenthood, or if you'd like to sign up for my other newsletter that pertains to such things, I’d love to connect.
hzb x hsgsStrv ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogrfgffhf[ < a message to you from my two year old. Let me know if you can decipher it’s meaning.
You have inspired me to get back to centos. I think it will help in this fall season! Also Lorien’s poem was by far the most inspiring thing that I have read all week! 🤍
I love this prompt. I just finished a beautiful book called A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Here's a cento I crafted from lines I underlined along the way. xx
cento: a tale for the time being
if you dry your tears,
you will understand what i’m saying.
our feeling of alive
has no real edge or boundary
possibilities open
nothing in the world
is real or solid
continuous
separate
flowing.
a time being,
a life.
not knowing is the most intimate way.