as the archer, you point arrows, fulfilling some sacred oath
elastic and flying, half-transcendental,
seeking mending from thistledown, they bloom brighter than merciless skies
finding the line in the sand while seashells bleach
and the 150 year old banyan tree tells how to withdraw a sword from a backyard stone
This poem is a Cento, made from the work of the other poets that participated in the August 30/30 Project with me for Tupelo Press. A cento is a poem created with lines written by other people. The link on the word “cento” will explain it better!
I was blown away by the work that my fellow writers shared this month. Honestly, it made me feel like I didn’t belong in the project – I was so impressed that I felt ridiculous being among them. Please, if you get a chance, scroll through and read some of their poems
Today, Lucie Chou published a cento for the group on the Tupelo Press site. You can read it at the link above, but here is a screenshot of it also:
This is our official cento for the project; she composed it from lines we all selected and sent to her. Because I initially misunderstood the instructions, I wrote my own cento that I sent in, thinking for some weird reason that she was going to make a cento out of our centos. Inception! So I had this piece already ready and I figured I may as well share it with y’all here.
It’s a satisfying relief to have completed the month-long project! It was a good experience, and I would recommend it. The hardest part was the fundraising, but if I – who suffer acutely from imposter syndrome and want to hide instead when it comes to asking people for money – if I can do it, you can too! Tupelo Press graciously provided us with weekly “craft talks” that were like mini workshop sessions, so there’s a lot more to it than you might think.
I’m grateful to Tupelo Press for their choosing to include me in this project, and for their support through the process. I am grateful also to everyone out there who read along, shared my poems, and donated to the fundraiser. THANK YOU!
The Poetry Patio 