Still Hands (Cento)
I let it burn, rooted as it is. Now
nothing else keeps my eyes
in the cloud – get close to a star,
and there you are, in the sun.
What about all the little stones,
sitting alone in the moonlight?
Silence complicates despair.
I have believed so long in the magic
of names and poems,
and I know that you would take
the still hands to dryness and
loose rocks, where the light
re-immerses itself. It’s not the story
I want. We cannot live on that.
* * *
Credits:
Sharon Wevill, Julia de Burgos, Francis Ponge, Mary Oliver,
Alberto de Lacerda, Robert Hass, HD, Jacques Dupin, Francesca Abbate, George Oppen.
O at the Edges 
Why so many credits and what are they for? Interesting poem, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A cento is comprised of lines from other poems. The credits acknowledge the poets who wrote the lines. You can read a little about it here: https://robertokaji.com/2018/01/17/biography-cento-2/
and there’s a link to a definition. It’s a fun but challenging form.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. I had no idea what was going on. The nearest equivalent in my experience was writing a Noh play (in English), where you are expected to quote freely from other writers. And that was exciting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It helps to have a lot of poetry books lying around! 🙂
LikeLike
cccccoooooooooooooooooollllllllllllll 🙂 ☺
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much!
LikeLike
Love that entire ending: “where the light / re-immerses itself. It’s not the story / I want. We cannot live on that.” The imagery of light, which is beautiful and abstract, directly next to the line about stories, their significance in people’s lives—an existential question, and also perhaps beautiful and abstract. Powerful lines.
Very effective use of the cento poetic form, too, as you are using other people’s *stories* to write this. That lends a nice layer of dual-meaning to the entire poem.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lola. I enjoy the challenge of using another’s line to express something I feel or want to evoke. I rely on feeling rather than intent, and hope that the gathered words will work well together. It’s always a struggle, but one well worth attempting.
LikeLiked by 1 person