War Poem in the Snow (Cento)

18 Comments read Writing - Fiction
War Poem in the Snow (Cento)

This bone deep chill,
Standing before you in the shade of this majestic pine
Crouching behind the taste of port or the flashes of cerulean and topaz blue
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight

Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
paper shining white like the pocked moon.
The north field was frozen, just a broad stretch of white, it grew thicker with every flake.
We have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide but the shadows. When the snow
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets.

So hush. Be silent in the night.
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
I am a little world made cunningly

It’s a yeah write January poetry slam! Some of our editors and friends are working on centos this month. Want to give one a try? Check out the guidelines in the yeah write coffeehouse. In the meantime, check out the other centos this week!

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18 Comments War Poem in the Snow (Cento)

  1. Pingback: abandoned | Arden Ruth Writes

  2. Jennifer G. Knoblock January 15, 2015 at 5:31 am

    Ah, Dover Beach. 🙂 I love the mix of old and new, remarkably seamless, and the surreal feeling that seems so perfect for a “war poem.”

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    1. Meg January 17, 2015 at 12:56 pm

      Aw, thanks, Jennifer. So many lines I wanted to use!!

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  3. Michael January 15, 2015 at 8:52 am

    Oh, I liked this. I thought the perspective shifts were interesting too, from you to we to I. Very meaningful, I think, if I’m reading it right. 🙂

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    1. Meg January 17, 2015 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks, Michael! The POV shifts were a happy coincidence. Love it when that happens.

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  4. Arden Ruth January 15, 2015 at 10:04 am

    Meg, I must disagree with your comment on my post. I loved this and it made perfect sense to me! Well done!

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    1. Meg January 17, 2015 at 12:58 pm

      You are too kind, Arden. <3 Thanks for reading.

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  5. Silverleaf January 15, 2015 at 11:41 am

    Meg, this is amazing in its complexity, and its simultaneous ability to paint a vivid picture. I can feel it and see it. What a wonderful combination of lines, and I love the title!

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    1. Meg January 22, 2015 at 12:48 am

      Thanks — a week late on my part! — for reading and commenting, dear Silver. I was hoping each thread would pick up where the other left off. Such a fun exercise — and so many amazing poems in the world.

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  6. inNateJames January 15, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to maintain your own style using lines from other authors.

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    1. Meg January 22, 2015 at 12:49 am

      Really? Thanks, Nate. I don’t even know what my style is but I guess I’ve been on this planet long enough to pick one up and carry it on to reading/thieving choices. LOL. Greatly appreciate the read — apologies for the delayed response!

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    1. Meg January 22, 2015 at 12:50 am

      Thank you!

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  8. comfortablyfrum January 19, 2015 at 12:51 am

    i love the line “be silent in the night.” so much visual with so little noise and so few words. <3

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    1. Meg January 22, 2015 at 12:51 am

      So glad you enjoyed it. As a cento, not a single word was mine — but I hope my “curating” of other work was effective. Thanks for reading!

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  10. Meg January 22, 2015 at 12:51 am

    Wish I knew Russian!

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  11. johnberk February 5, 2015 at 5:45 am

    I loved this! Great way to depict winter. I’m freezing in my mind. But it is great. And the photograph? So dark. There can be more pleasure in the winter. I mean seriously? How could they even walk?

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