He’s famous for inventing his own form of poem called the Duplex, and he’s a professor of writing and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia – a mere hour from where I live just south of where his pen graces his pages each day. I own his book The Tradition, but I couldn’t find it anywhere and am grateful that our public library in my small town had a copy. You must check out Jericho Brown, a Pulitzer Prize winning poet who is as real as poets get on a deeply personal level. I’ve written a cento poem using his existing lines from this collection to form a new poem below.
You can read more about Jericho Brown on his website, and here and here.
Two Words
A poem is a gesture toward home
or the woman for whom it was a gift.
None of our fights ended where they began.
Long ago, we used two words.
Lines taken from, in this order: Duplex; After Avery R. Young; Duplex: Cento; The Legend of Big and Fine.
Common Threads 
I got distracted by our stack for this last week. Love, love, love Billy Collins. Just jumped on my public library app and placed one of his books on hold! Thanks for the nudge. Your expertise in poetry is outstanding and pushing me to spend more time reading and writing poetry! Thank you!
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Thank you, Sally! Many of the books I’ve used this month are inter-library loans from across the state. I pick them up right across the street from where I work at our small-town library. The world is truly at our feet when we have a library card.
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I believe Jericho Brown is originally from Louisiana. I used the duplex form in my book about Emma Wakefield. Like you, I have this book tucked away somewhere. The lines you chose fit together as if they were meant to be.
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Thank you, Margaret! I loved your blog with the painting book today.
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Kim,
Big Jericho Brown fan here. The duplex is such an innovative but challenging form. Love the idea of a poem being āa gesture toward home.ā In May Iām going to start rereading lots of my poetry books, Brownās among them. I think he may have a more recent collection that The Tradition available, too.
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Yes, he probably does. His work is to savor. Thanks, Glenda!
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I had to jump over to poets.org to check out Brown’s explanation of his duplex form. Wow. The explanation itself is a poem. I loved your cento. The first line hooked me.
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Thank you, Lori!
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Kim, well done. Jericho Brown is an important living poet to highlight this month. I’m glad to see him here, and I didn’t realize you were so close to him.
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He did a reading recently, and I still want to go to one. Most of the time, they’re on weeknights in Atlanta, and it’s hard to get off work and then get through the rush hour traffic on top of that. I hope to see him in person someday. Thanks, Denise!
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What a fascinating poem. Your poems always leave me thinking. Today, what were those two words? I love the duplex format. I’ve been wanting to write one again. Perhaps tomorrow!
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Ha! I have two words that come to mind immediately for what I think is meant here……and they’re not “Stop it!” Thanks so much, and I loved your blog today.
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