Four April centos: No. 3

My third cento may be titled “Bad sad mad” but that doesn’t mean these 24 closing thoughts of the month are any worse than the rest. They simply gravitated together to create something that we all need to purge from time to time.

When April was over and done, your poems didn’t leave me alone. So I gathered the final lines of all 96 last April poems as posted on the official NaPoWriMo website on Day 30 and rearranged them into four centos.

After the first two centos that were teeming with positivity (the links are at the end of the post), here are some last April lines that didn’t sound all that cheerful. The poets might not have planned it and their poems might otherwise be quite happy, but I thought to combine these 24 poem endings into a following dramatic sequence.

The links under the cento lead to all included poems. Twenty-nine poems remain for the last cento that will come next week.

I had to insert some punctuation where there was none but – as always – no word has been changed or added.

Thank you, poets. Your words live on.

Bad sad mad 

Oh no! Oh no!
Retirement’s not for me!1
My head is a computer turned off
completely empty, waiting for
tomorrow.2
I swear to God I’m past my limit
One pic on Snapchat…
drop him in it…3
Phone texts for eyes
younger than mine
still adjusting to digital.4
I can’t help but groan aloud
How can I forget the strain?5

The dirt is folded in the creases
of my palms, like a road map home.6
Desert, a wasteland 
created by 
building 
apathy.7
Queueing forever.
Just for dart.
Gloom.8

BEHOLD THE TRUE MOTHER CHURCH9

“In a world where you can be anything,   
be strong, be self-sufficient, not kind.10 
And you accept that the world didn't crash
when you decided that it did
the only way to live with yourself.11
I’ll tell you a secret, but it may be a lie:
this torch I’ve got?
I’m carrying it for someone else.”12

Her smile drained me, 
leaving me with a pool of tears.13

I’m so frustrated looking for you.14
Will you free me?
Will you pull me through?
I’m not sure.15
You seem nearer 
and more with me in death16
and the zeal is waning 
from hunger17
and murdered women
              disappeared.18

In the evening I can’t sleep and gives me a fright
No from me.19
Other than that
I’ll see you in hell 
and that is what you mean to me.20 

Out loud, I say “Au revoir. Hope you are well.”21
              Give me a minute
to float, and I’ll be ready.22
I’ll admit I got carried away.
Consider this my apology.
Peace to your ♥s! Stephanie23

(I wrapped it up with general positivity
and didn’t even mention even once the shit)24 

1. Laura McGinnis: Shanty – Palinode
2. Milly Stale: Palinode of Book Covers
3. Montaffera: Retraction
4. Ken Gierke: More or Less About Time
5. Dawn D: Limping Along
6. Sidney Jones Jr: Retraction
7. Roger Walker: #30
8. Anna Enbom: Internal palinode
9. El Desdichado (Bob): Ecclesia
10. Ipsita Banerjee: To Ipsy, sometime later.
11. Yugantika (LIFE): On the love, you rue
12. 7eyedwonder (Nora). Day 30 poem has expired but read Nora’s intriguing Day 8 poem.
13. Ally L. Mare: Day 30
14. A. Chakir (The Dreaming Path): Where are you now?
15. Kapat Kapayas (BLACKWELL SHIVERING GLASS): And say we did
16. Syl Fluff: The Night – Your Love (Syl was the first to complain about the copyrights. Serves me right to wish to incorporate everybody. Next time I stick to my people.) This line: ©Syl2022-2025
17. Maria L. Berg: Defining Zealousness
18. Christine Smart: Grief
19. Ladyleemanila: My Palinode – No from me
20. Timothy Brien: At One Time
21. Carol Jackson: Taking Back What I Haven’t Said
22. Sidra Elvey: Floating
23. Stephanie Malley: Fairy Tale Mail
24. Ruth Berkoff: What Really Happened at the River

Closer is not necessarily bad. A rear view from Rome.

Four April centos:

• No. 1: Future vs past
• No. 2: Life
• No. 3: Bad sad mad (this post)
• No. 4: On writing

Three previous NaPoWriMo centos:

• Day 28, 2023: Index 2023
• Day 30, 2022: Magic cento
• Day 16, 2019: Art likes to make more of itself