Winter

A Lorine Niedecker Cento
(Word Count: 302)

Carnegie Hall, the great musicbox
He has issued also complaints in vast design
He bowed to everyone he met
Too good to forsake

May you have lumps in your mashed potatoes
From lower to upper terrace

Saw her face
I was job certified
Let's practice your dance

Last lines being sentimental, reaction
On the part of the Milky Way

I'll wait, he said
But he was not for me
Why

What cause have you
And it's not laughing
Recombinations of yellows
Pretty thing
Wash and say good night

Wild sunflowers
The chemist creates
At pond bottom
They sank the sea

Icy wind
You can keep me warm
He who'd bowed his head
But pray

He bowed to everyone he met
It uses us, we use it
The world has no notice
Only an occasional stray student
Edge ice crack duck
He kept us afloat

But who will veer
to ache
Smile
reproduced by seed

These trailer houses
Dark road home
Patched and worn and many more
Beyond my life
She grew where every spring
Illuminations
Follow winter break-up
and I am old.

And the sun and moon and stars
Where I now walk I carry

Don't fall in love
on New Year's Day

The good sea weather
rocking his chair
of shore and shade
all who live here
All in vain it would sometimes seem

A thimble in her purse
faint, not enough to eat
For sun and moon and radio
My coat threadbare

the universe
so many winters
quivering toward light
taxes, no work
what was it he ate
give me this
what's that? -- belly!

Let's play a game
without any opening
thin coat, without knowing why
till grandfather traded it

I spent my money
see thru the laughter
fashions mornings after
one month going into another
so many winters

LAURA BLASKEY