Field Guide to the Night Sky

Into the night
Seemingly empty space
Diminishing crescents
Move relative to one another
Arms that are increasingly spread
Intimately involved with the bodies
Physically connected
Mutual gravitational forces
To explore them in more detail
Stars, a handful of stars
Generations of stars
Edge of brightness
How bright it appears to us.

-These are phrases taken from the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky pub 1991 to create a cento, a poem of passages taken from another source and rearranged into a new work for the DVerse prompt.

28 thoughts on “Field Guide to the Night Sky”

What a fun way to play with creating a poem – and it came together so wonderfully! I may have to try this out sometime.

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 30, 2012 at 10:23 am said:

It really was fun to think about and write – I might try it again too! Thanks K

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The stars speak their own language to us, I think. Beyond the maps are the poetry and the myths. You made a sparkling poem here from scientific facts into brilliant poem.

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 30, 2012 at 10:22 am said:

I am humbled by your kindness – thanks so much. K

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Interesting way to create a cento and it worked beautifully – when you mentioned it reminded you a bit of erasure poetry, I thought it also reminds me at times of “found poetry” – if you’re familiar with that form … I really like what you came up with here.

http://thepoet-tree-house.blogspot.ca/2012/09/accept-shadows-centon.html

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 29, 2012 at 7:53 am said:

Thank you so much! K

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Great source material – this reminded me a bit of erasure poems. Wonderful!

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 9:52 pm said:

Thanks – so happy you enjoyed it! K

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I love the source and am so impressed that you could compose such a beautiful poem from it. It made me feel the serenity one feels when touched by nature. Really nice.

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 9:52 pm said:

So grateful for your generous comment – thanks so much! K

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ha love that you used a non poetic source and you worked it well…i love the night sky in its vastness….i like the generation line as well…it stretches it in time as well as….space….ha…

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 8:13 am said:

Thanks, Brian. It was a fun exercise. I appreciate your kind words, as always! K

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Lovely! I love the thought of generations of stars… really lovely. 🙂

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 8:11 am said:

Thank you – I am happy you liked it. K

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Clever! I like ‘Generations of stars Edge of brightness’

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 8:11 am said:

Thanks so much. K

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I love this! Beautiful source for this, and a wonderful transmutation from prose into lyric poetry.

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 8:11 am said:

Thanks, Sam. It was fun to try something different – great prompt! K

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Wonderful – you took something that is not exactly prosaic but is prose and made it poetry. k.

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 8:10 am said:

Thanks, k. I am happy you liked it! K

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Hi. Interesting process!!! I like the ‘diminishing crescents’ and the line following best! Jane

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The Course of Our Seasons on September 28, 2012 at 8:07 am said:

It is an interesting concept and was fun to use the field guide as the source. Thanks, Jane! K

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