A Sealey Cento

A Sealey Cento
in honor of the 2026 Sealey Challenge

Our lady of the ruins, please—
poetry is not a luxury, a bestiary.
Geography III, map to the stars, the universe
in verse. Both true. What remains?
The city in which I love you, cataloguing
pain. A little feral, the heart’s traffic, the ruins
of nostalgia. Accidental devotions, inconsolable
objects, the Appalachian Sea. If you love
that lady, the world doesn’t end. Temporary
cathedrals fluent in silence, the shuttered
eye. You are here, the body of all things. Grief
becomes you.

Cento
”From the Latin word for “patchwork garment,” a cento is a literary work collaged entirely from other authors’ verses or passages.” —Poetry Foundation

And here are the books I plan to read, hopefully in full, during the 10th anniversary of The Sealey Challenge. Today is my get-organized day, and I thought it would be fun to organize the titles into a cento.

Our Lady of the Ruins by Traci Brimhall
Please by Jericho Brown
Poetry is Not A Luxury edited by the curator of @poetryisnotaluxury on Instagram
A Bestiary by Lily Hoang
Geography III by Elizabeth Bishop
Map to the Stars by Adrian Matejka
The Universe in Verse edited by Maria Popova
Both True by Kristina Percy
What Remains by Nicole Dalcourt
the city in which I love you by li-young-lee
Cataloguing Pain by Allison Blevins
A Little Feral by Maria Giesbrecht
The Heart’s Traffic by Ching-In Chen
The Ruins of Nostalgia by Donna Stonecipher
Accidental Devotions by Kelli Russell Agodon
Inconsolable Objects by Nancy Miller Gomez
The Appalachian Sea by Steve Scafidi
If You Love That Lady by Maya C. Popa
The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic
Temporary Cathedrals by Makayla Wamboldt
Fluent in Silence by Jayne Shore
The Shuttered Eye by Julia Copus
You Are Here by Ada Limón
The Body of all Things by Rebecca Jamieson
grief becomes you edited by Maya Stein