Rachel Sienkowski Kathryn Sienkowski Kristen Hamlin What is

Rachel Sienkowski Kathryn Sienkowski Kristen Hamlin

What is a Cento Poem? • From the Latin word for "patchwork, " the cento (or collage poem) is a poetic form made up of lines from poems by other poets. • Modern centos are often witty, creating irony or humor from the juxtaposition of images and ideas.

Famous Authors & Examples • An excerpt from Semi Cento by Bob Holman Oh Poets, why sing of roses! Let them flower in your poems! Listen! In the beginning was the Word. The world is holy! The soul is holy! The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy! Sing, O Orpheus! A tree grows in your ear! “Tree! You can be a canoe! Or else you cannot!” Sources: Vincente Huidobro (Spanish, Chile) Beowulf (Old English) The Bible (The Gospel According to John, I: 1, Hellenistic Greek) Allen Ginsberg (English, USA) Rainer Maria Rilke (German) Derek Walcott (English, St. Lucia)

Step by Step 1. Create a theme for your poem 2. Compile a list of lines relevant to your topic, each from a different poem already in existence. 3. The lines drawn from other poems cannot be changed 4. Cite all sources at the bottom of your poem in order of use.

Original Cento Poem I taught myself to live simply and wisely, To hide in the world And that has made all the difference. Here is the deepest secret nobody knows, All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. Still I'll rise. Line One: “I Taught Myself to Live” by Anna Akhmatova Line Two: “The Lockless Door” by Robert Frost Line Three: “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost Line Four: “I Carry Your Heart with Me” by E. E Cummings Line Five and Six: “A Dream within a Dream” by Edgar Allen Poe Line Seven: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou

Sources Cited • Cento poems • Semi Cento Poem • Top 50 Poems - Famous Poets and Poems