C - Cento
Before we get into the poetry form for C, I just want to mention that I may be having a problem getting my comments on your blog to post. I may, or they may be posting fine. I have been getting many emails notifying me that my comments are blocked. But, I see them when I revisit the blog, so they may be posting after all. At any rate, if you think I am not visiting any A-Z blogs and commenting, I am! I am also enjoying many of them.
Cento
From the Latin word for "patchwork," the cento (or collage poem) is a poetic form made up of lines from poems by other poets. A Cento is composed of only lines from other sources, not just a line or two.
My Cento is comprised of lines from 21 different poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay. A list of the poems is at the bottom of the page. I found this form to be a lot of fun to write.
April
Spring is here; and so ‘tis spring!
I will set a barrel
out to catch the rain,
for rain it hath a friendly sound.
At dawn from my damp garden
I will plant bergamot.
We will set it out to grow.
I will touch a hundred flowers,
marigolds around the step
and all the flowers that in the springtime grow.
There will be rose and rhododendron,
lilac, pink, blue.
I let my garden grow.
So wide shall be the garden-walk,
a gateless garden, and an open path.
Here is a place for me to lie
in this field we wander through
where the tall mullein
stands up so sturdy,
heavy with bees, a sunny sound.
Cat-birds call
and here again, the butterflies
blossom in the air,
blue, green, blue.
Oh, the things I haven’t seen and the things I haven’t known!
And what did I see I had not seen before?
All that I really love,
as there are flowers and you and song.