NPM 2016 - FPR Prompts - April 7th

I haven't been able to keep up with the Found Review page's prompts to write a poem every day but here is my attempt at writing something based on Simone Muench's prompt on April 7th to write a cento.

The prompt: Write a cento that is a self-portrait, or anthology of your life, utilizing lines and fragments from your own work.

I had never heard of a cento before but seems like a simple idea and Muench provides "basic stipulations" for writing a traditional cento.

A cento is a poem made entirely of lines from other poems. The name comes from the Latin word meaning a cloak made out of patches. The cento differs from found poetry in that every line is taken from another poem, instead of just any borrowed material.

I dont write too often but took 10 lines from 10 (half-baked) poems written in the 2010-2016 period and randomly chose a line I liked while reading the poem -- with no thought or relation or theme in mind i.e. no influence of history or memory in picking the lines) -- and once I had the ten lines in 1 place, I've paired them together as I see fit.

I only  changed a few minor things (guiding to guided, advising to advise , *him to a me, changed one line break,)... that's all

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Lucian Freud - Reflection (Self-Portrait)
Source

Self-portrait

by Sanjeev Naik

I took a wrong turn and came here

our failures guided me further

The weight of words

advise me to go seek my calm in Brazil

Colors blend into white

a continuum of listless reassurances.

No ink stains my fingers, I now only know

an unknown darkness

If it is the trees that have gone languid

a darkness envelopes me. I wake up...