Love, Scattered (Cento)
I cull and offer this and this,
and these last definite whorls
or later star or flower, such
rare dark in another world,
outdistancing us, madness
upon madness, the crest
and hollow, the lift and fall,
ah drift, so soft, so light,
where rollers shot with blue
cut under deeper blue as the
tide slackens when the roar of
a dropped wave breaks into it,
and under and under, this
is clear—soft kisses like bright
flowers— why do you dart and
pulse till all the dark is home?
I am scattered in its whirl.
This cento first appeared here in April 2015, and is composed exclusively of lines taken from fifteen pages in the Collected Poems of H.D., 6th printing, 1945. Hilda Doolittle is a fascinating figure in 20th century American poetry. You might look at the Poetry Foundation’s biography for further information:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/h-d
O at the Edges 
This is beautiful.
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Thank you. H.D.’s language is so rich with imagery that it was a great pleasure to assemble this one.
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Love the “whorl – world – whirl” !
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They do resonate, don’t they?
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i think we’d probably no longer be friends after i came to your house: i’d leave with a rucksack full of your books, you have some cracking editions Robert. i need to read more Hilda,
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You should see the ones that got away! I am only now appreciating Hilda Doolittle.
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Ahhh… H.D. and the Imagists… great source…great cento!
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One of my poetry crushes!
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got to be Anne Sexton for me, in university i fantasized incessantly about her. i had a girlfriend who looked like her a little bit, the way she held a cigarette & her thick black hair; i still dream about that girl & beautiful, tragic Anne.
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I didn’t know poetry well enough to have poetry crushes when I was in school. But I can picture you and Anne Sexton.
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The Imagists… of whom Okaji-sensei is a member…
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Nice read
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Thanks very much. H.D. of course gets the credit.
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This beautifully written. So rich with imagery. Beautiful.
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Thank you. It’s all H.D.’s imagery, of course.
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So deep and touching! Thank you for sharing💛
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Thanks very much. So pleased you like it.
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