Cento Poetry Challenge

I first came across this form of poem in June 2007 here on Swap-Bot when becra ran a swap and subsequently several more. I now have her permission to run them here in Passionate Poets.

A cento is a poem composed entirely of lines taken from already published poems by different authors. The word "cento" means, "stitched," and you can think of a cento as a verbal quilt made up of fabric (=lines) from different sources, sewn together. For a longer description of the cento and a 16 line example, see

http://adelekenny.blogspot.com/2010/05/poetry-prompt-6.html

Let's try our hand at this poetic form that is part verbal collage and part homage!

Each participant will create a cento of at least 8 lines and will send it to 3 partners. Don't use an author more than once, alter nothing in the original lines except punctuation and capitalization, and make sure you include a key to your cento in which you list the authors, poems, and publications from which your lines are taken. Also include English translations in your key if some (or all) of your cento is in a language other than English.

How you present your cento is up to you: typed and printed, hand-written, composed out of letters clipped from magazines, or whatever feels right to you!

This is an international swap.

Have fun.

I will angel if need be as I have lots I have created in the past.

About the only originality that any writer can

Hope to achieve

Honestly is to steal with good judgement.

---Josh billings