The Wet Clay of My Heart
New Poems by Toni Stern, Now Available
Toni Stern has created a unique book of poetry composed solely of centos. Originating around the fourth century, centos reconfigure pre-existing poetic texts into new systems of imagery and ideas. Toni’s centos are beautiful, charming, witty and, at times, quite sad. “It has been a transformative experience," she writes. "I am indebted to all the artists quoted within these pages."
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I write, not in order to understand myself, rather to abide more peacefully in the certainty that I never shall.
Cento 18
When you lose something irreplaceable, like escaping from bondage to a raving maniac, you were happy, then you were sad, as though only what is lost held possibilities. There is a wound on the trunk where the branch was torn off, the tree unwilling to release it. Even if the geraniums are artificial, they are no less red.
Cento 38
To make even a small amount of sense seems to me a great athletic achievement. Your world is relieved of the clutter for a split second. Inevitably you find out that you are lost; really lost, stupid; really stupid, and you go on from there. How discouraging wisdom is
“When Toni and I first started writing songs in 1969, her poetry took the form of lyrics. Today, as then, her poems are filled with an inherent musicality that joins with her words to evoke emotions and provoke the imagination. Enjoy the journey!”
Jm McCrary / Redferns
