Book Review Cento

Book Review Cento: It Changes as the Day Does

 

Act 1, Scene 1/Enter woman,

With flowers standing on the balcony,

Heard a phoebe this morning—

You are in a beautiful language,

The subtle lilt in your speech,

A sound welling up through the throat,

Some flickers of nonsense remained,

Jewels in joy designed,

With all we’ve been taught to hope for.

A little turbulence just began…

I’m coming to find you

In flight from the land,

Where does the rainbow end,

in your soul or on the horizon?

*****

Last Sunday (4.17.22), the entire New York Times Book Review was devoted to poetry. I created the cento above with lines quoted in various reviews and poems. The issue is a beautifully curated selection of new poetry, plus a few recently re-published older works.

The Poetry Friday roundup is at Margaret Simon's blog, Reflections on the Teche.

Cento Sources: The New York Times Book Review (April 17, 2022). Title from Vinegar Hill, by Colm Toibin; 1. Woman, Eat Me Whole, by Ama Asantewa Diaka; 2. “In that life I would have dwelt,” by Yuri Burjak (translated from the Ukrainian by Nikolai Scherbak and Fiona Sampson); 3. Rapture and Melancholy: The Diaries of Edna St. Vincent Millay (edited by Daniel Mark Epstein); 4. Best Barbarian, by Roger Reeves; 5. Madness, by Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué; 6. Now Do You Know Where You Are, by Dana Levin; 7. Continuous Creation, by Les Murray; 8. “The Convergence of the Twain—Lines on the Loss of the Titanic,” by Thomas Hardy; 9. Canopy, by Linda Gregerson; 10. Venice, by Ange Mlinko; 11. Cicada, by Phoebe Giannisi (translated from the Greek by Brian Sneeden); 12. Flight and Metamorphosis, by Nelly Sachs (translated from the German by Joshua Weiner with Linda B. Parshall); 13-14. Book of Questions, by Pablo Neruda (translated from the Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson)

Photo: A shout-out to "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, with a fish crow playing the part of the raven.

Comments

[Laura Purdie Salas]

You do so many fun things to springboard yourself into poems! This is wonderful!

[Susan]

Thanks so much, Laura! I really enjoyed that issue of the Book Review.

[Denise Krebs]

Oh, such pretty line you gathered for your cento. Like...
"Jewels in joy designed," and "You are in a beautiful language,"
Thanks for sharing the poetry book review.

[Susan]

Thanks for stopping by, Denise. The Hardy poem about the Titanic makes me want to read more of his poetry. I thought that was a beautiful line, too!

[Carol Varsalona]

I like what you created from the Times-such a memorable array of quotes all fitting so well together.

[Susan Thomsen]

Thank you so much, Carol! I'm still reading this great issue of the NYTBR.

[PATRICIA J FRANZ]

I love how your cento creates an entirely new story from story. And how much we can read into the new piece (puns intended!)

[Susan]

Patricia, doing these is so fun. With no preconceived notions of which lines I was going to choose, I was surprised that a bird theme flew through!

[Linda Baie]

I did read the issue, though I only subscribe online. It was wonderful, as is your idea to craft special lines into your poem. You should send it to them!

[Susan Thomsen]

Linda, I have to confess. After posting it here, I thought, "What the heck," and emailed the NYTBR a copy of the poem. I do want to order, or request from the library, some of the books mentioned.

[Linda Mitchell]

What a fabulous idea! And, this cento is wonderful. Thank you!

[Susan Thomsen]

Merci, Linda. I have submitted another cento to a journal, and am waiting to hear its status!

[Michelle Kogan]

Powerful lines! I like how you started, setting the stage as a play, and then the woman and image of a phoebe–which is from the book on Edna St. Vincent Millay whom I admire, I'll have to check it our along with many others here. Good luck on your entry– nice pic too, thanks Susan!

[Susan Thomsen]

Phoebes must be on my mind! They have recently returned to our area after a winter's absence. I ordered the Edna St. Vincent Millay book for a friend who loves her poetry, which I like too but don't know very well. Thank you for stopping by, Michelle!