Resurrection (Cento)
Everything we love
returns to the ground.
Each syllable is the work of sabotage,
a breeze seeping from the heart of the rocks.
They are my last words
or what I intend my last words to be.
I think just how my shape will rise,
a miracle, anywhere light moves.
*****
A cento is composed of lines borrowed from other poets. “Resurrection” first appeared here in January 2016, and owes its existence to the poetry of Tishani Doshi, Paul Auster, Antonella Anedda, Sean Hill, Emily Dickinson, and Ruth Ellen Kocher. I urge you to seek out their work. It astounds!
O at the Edges 
The contrast and fluency of returning to earth returning to light returning to…
Absolutely stunning Robert.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Chris. The source poems are spectacular – it was just a matter of harvesting the right lines.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A rich harvest indeed… but it does come down to what the chef does once the finest ingredients have been found.
I’m looking forward to checking out the poets, the lines really are exquisite. Have a good one Robert.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These were certainly superior ingredients!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I admire your ability to find a cohesion and flow from one line to another, when the associations don’t exist until you make them. Indirectly, it’s a testament to your ability to make a leap within your own words/poetry. And, I say “leap,” because it can seem that way to a reader, until you have shown the natural reasoning, from one line to another.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My thoughts tend to jump around rather than follow a linear flow, so “leap” is an apt description of my process.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my God! This is SO beautiful. It moved my spirit. So deep and touching. Thankyou for touching my spirit today
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so pleased you like this. Thank you.
LikeLike
I’m curious, Bob (if you have time to reply; if not, not a big deal—I’ll look it up) . . . and since I might attempt one of these myself: am I correct in understanding that this is 2 lines (1 from one poet, 1 from another)?: “Everything we love[1 poet]/returns to the ground” [a different poet]? Hope that makes sense. My days of academic poetry are in the dim past, so I wanted to understand what you mean by line.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I believe the “rules” are rather flexible. I try to use intact phrases, rather than fragments of phrases. The words you quote are actually from one poet, Tishani Doshi. I break the poets’ source lines, or run them together, as I see fit, altering only the punctuation. “Each syllable is a work of sabotage” comes from Paul Auster, “a breeze seeping from the heart of the rocks” is Antonella Anedda’s. So by LINE, I mean that portion lifted from the source poet. And as poets often use sentence fragments as complete lines in poems, they can be combined in interesting ways to form new meaning. Or at least that is the hope.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool, thank you for the extensive explanation, Bob! Sorry for all that legwork, but i’s appreciated.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was my pleasure, Leigh. I can’t wait to see what you produce!
LikeLiked by 1 person
beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Nancie!
LikeLike
What a lovely combination
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Barbara. Centos are fun and challenging to produce. They can also eat up a lot of time. 😐
LikeLike
what a fun form to play around with! and yours is a sublime example!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s fun and challenging, and I come to know the source poems much better.
LikeLike