Poetry / Reading / Writing

National Poetry Month: Writing Wild, Day 30

Catherine Flynn16 Comments

“Poetry gives us a place to make beautiful sense of life.”
~ Joy Harjo ~

Welcome to the final Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month! Please be sure to visit Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme for the Poetry Friday Roundup. I can’t quite believe that April is over. One of the reasons I began this project was to find a way back into a daily writing habit. Although I didn’t post every day (“Because,” as my friend Heidi would say, “you know, life.“), I did write a poem in response to the work of all twenty-five writers profiled by Kathryn Aalto in Writing Wild. But somewhere along the way, this project morphed into something so much more. All of the women I met in this book are truly remarkable. Some have conquered overwhelming obstacles, including ne’er-do-well husbands, physical abuse and alcoholism. After spending a day or so with each of them, I found myself  thinking, “She is my favorite.” Of course, I could never choose one over another. I am truly in awe of each and every one. Somewhere along the way, I read that Diane Ackerman calls herself a “poetic science storyteller.” I immediately thought, “that’s what I want to be when I grow up!” This work has changed me and inspired me in countless ways. I know it will be influencing my writing and my life for years to come.

For this final day, I decided to create a cento, drawing on all the poems I drafted this month. Italicized lines are directly from the work of other writers. Their names are listed in order at the bottom of the poem.

“A Complicated Beauty”

Things are at a tipping point.
Earth, mother to all,
weaves a web of memories.
Know and say their names.
Flood the world with empathy.

A bee buzzes hopefully
around eager bursts of green,
evidence of the wild wonder of the world.

In the day’s waning light, the world can shimmer.
Winged creatures of the night
with their own ways of being,
chime a silent celebration.

Star gazers look up in wonder,
notice the ghost moon in the wide, pale sky.

Borders evaporate.

As daily life accepts the night’s arrest,
a small spider,
pearly and round
with delicate legwork,
plays the music of Nature.

Winding skyward along an ancient path
heat, radiating, heart to heart
resilience can emerge.

Alchemy powers earth’s enduring nature,
promises for tomorrow.
In twilight’s glimmer-glow,
forge a new kinship with Earth.
The most important magic lies within you.

Draft © 2021, Catherine Flynn

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

Writers whose lines are included in this poem, including the title:
Camille T. Dungy
Leslie Marmon Silko
Camille T. Dungy
Gene Stratton-Porter
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Carolyn Finney

Previous Writing Wild posts:

Day 1: Dorothy Wordsworth
Day 2: Susan Fenimore Cooper
Day 3: Gene Stratton-Porter
Day 4: Mary Austin
Day 5: Vita Sackville-West
Day 6: Nan Shepherd
Day 7: Rachel Carson
Day 8: Mary Oliver
Day 9: Carolyn Merchant
Day 10: Annie Dillard
Day 11: Gretel Ehrlich
Day 12: Leslie Marmon Silko
Day 13: Diane Ackerman
Day 14: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Day 15: Lauret Savoy
Day 16: Rebecca Solnit
Day 17: Kathleen Jamie
Day 18: Carolyn Finney
Day 19: Helen Macdonald
Day 20: Saci Lloyd
Day 21: Andrea Wulf
Day 22: Padma Venkatraman
Day 23: Camille T. Dungy
Day 24: Elena Passarello
Day 25: Amy Liptrot
Day 27: Elizabeth Rush

16 thoughts on “National Poetry Month: Writing Wild, Day 30”

  1. Hooray! Catherine, you’ve done it. Wow! Today’s post with a cento is a perfect celebration of your learning and growth. I love that spider…pearly and round. Alchemy powers of earth–too. I’ve enjoyed writing with you even in those life times. You help me write better and embrace science.

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  6. Well, I loved all your lines, pulling from the inspiration of all those wonderful women, & all your posts, Catherine. It was a joy to read them & be inspired, too. I will get that book, perhaps a summer special? And I am drawn to your own line because of the many night hikes I’ve done, with students & with family, seeing eyes glowing, hearing small movements, I know they do “chime a silent celebration”. Thank you!

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  9. Catherine, thank you for a delightful month of stops. I have enjoyed your project – and look forward to a little more time with the book you featured. You did it!

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  13. Congratulations on an inspired month of beautiful poetry, Catherine! I think you already are “poetic science storyteller”. This finale cento is swoon-worthy. 🙂

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  14. Catherine! Congratulations on completing your MPSS (Master’s in Poetic Science Storytelling). That’s the aim, isn’t it, that our work, our risk, will change us forever? “Because,” as *my* friend Heidi would say, “you know, life.“ May your borders still evaporate!

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