The Fish Poem

Centos are collaged poems made up of fragments of other poems. For the official launch of the FISH Anthology in Bantry, Ireland, Brain Turner composed a Cento from the winning Fish poems — otherwise known as “The FISH Poem” 

With the Sails Unfurled

At the border, I forget who I am—

like a leaf changing into a verb, I toss and turn,

going nowhere. Now,

                                     let us speak of love.

Don’t think I don’t know

the crackle of the fire at night, how

the granite boulders burned

like nascent magma

as we waited there. For you,

               I’ll search until the end of time,

with the wind from the west,

sea spray on my face, ‘til the grass is gone

and the rivers run dry, ‘til the end of time,

wherever that is—now,

and now  

and now.

 Brian Turner reading at The Fish Publishing Anthology 2011 launch

The work of the following poets were included:

Ken Taylor, Jean Tuomey, Stephanie Scott, Diana Adams, Michael McCarthy, Jo Bell, Kita Shantiris, Cecile Callan, Malissa Priebe, Kirsty McCormack