reconstructed reckoning: a cento in collage
did you never call / i waited for your call / a way to shield the hated heat / i fell asleep / walls built up stone by stone / dirt of seven continents going ‘round & ‘round / maybe these maps & legends have been misunderstood / peel back the mountains / oceans fall & mountains drift / drink up the lake / fields divided one by one / peel back the sky / it’s a Man Ray kind of sky / burn bright through the night / paint me the places you have seen / a way to put myself to sleep / we can reach our destination / listen to the holler / the wise man built his words upon the rocks / but i’m not bound to follow suit / get me to the train on time / here / take this nickel / make a dime / some things are givens & others get away / when the world is a monster / hypnotized / suit-and-tied / listen to my walls within / & read just about every paragraph / to tell what i have hidden there / letters to me signed / ransom / greed / that’s my mistake / we never wrote the reasons that i need explained / take this penny & make it into a necklace when i leave / go build yourself another dream / try to put that in this heat / cannot wear that on your sleeve / the choice isn’t mine /
6 thoughts on "reconstructed reckoning: a cento in collage"
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Whoa! I’m not sure I’m following this as it should be followed, but I feel I get the gist, which is powerful, desperate, bitter and compelling. Great stuff.
Like Kevin, I am feeling like following you on awesome road trip, not sure where, but you make me want to stay for the rest of the ride. Great cento. Are the excerpts from Lexpomo poets?
The lines come from REM songs from the first time I saw them live.
I selected lines from R.E.M. songs that they performed at their November 1985 concert at Memorial Coliseum. It was the first time I saw them live and it will always be a foundational moment for me.
Great collection, recollection and reconstruction. Thank you for sharing!
Jay – love the title and REM. I am always amazed when people create centos – this has your understory woven into the lyrics – Your heart comes through the words.