NovPoWriMo 2025: Day 3 — Corrigenda Crown

DAY 3. Corrigenda Crown

In fixed forms, a “crown” often means linked sonnets; we’re adapting the idea: seven linked lists with a repeating line that mutates and returns. A crown of seven short poems. Each a corrigenda list (plural of corrigendum, “things to be corrected”). Each mini-poem looks like the back page of a book, but the book is a life. A refrain line appears at the end of each section and mutates slightly as we move from I→VII; the final section answers the first.

Corrigendum vs. Erratum:

• Erratum / Errata: a printing or production error that needs correction after publication.
• Corrigendum / Corrigenda: a correction issued by the author (the responsibility is owned).

For our purposes: Day 2’s sonnet used the errata vibe (typo-ish, house style); Day 3 leans into corrigenda: the speaker owns the mistake and formally corrects it. 

“Errata” vs. “Corrigenda” distinctions in publishing vary by house style; many venues use them interchangeably, but traditionally corrigenda implies author-issued corrections which are useful for our ownership theme.

[Some back-matter forms to pillage if you want to go down the rabbit hole: Errata, Corrigenda, Addenda, Appendix, Index, Colophon, Erratum Slip. Each brings its own tone, maybe try picking a couple per section...]

So, how do we do this? 

Structure:

• Seven sections (I–VII).
• Each section = 5–8 lines formatted like corrections.
• End each section with the same refrain phrase—but alter one word or punctuation each time to show drift.
• In section VII, the refrain returns to its original wording (or corrects it decisively).

Use any of these line shapes:

• p. 7, l. 3 — for “X” read “Y.”
• Index — delete “_____”; insert “_____.”
• Colophon — “_____” should read “_____.”
• n. 4 — footnote misnumbered; renumber as “4a.”

Crown logic:

• I: personal minutiae (dates, names).
• II: objects (keys, receipts, rooms).
• III: place & weather.
• IV: speech (misquotes, unsaid lines).
• V: time (calendars, clocks, seasons).
• VI: the body (breath, pulse, posture).
• VII: metadata (title, author, dedication) where the poem corrects itself.

The refrain (choose one):
1. “This will have to do.” → “This will have to do,” → “This will have to, do.” → “This will have to undo.” → … → final: “This will have to do.” 

—or—

2. “Leave as is.” → “Leave, as is.” → “Leave as is?” → “Leave as was.” → … → final: “Leave as is.”

Let's uncomplicate. Draft the refrain first (the seven inflections). Craft a messy list of things you’d correct (names, dates, petty facts, a misquote, a room that wasn’t the one). Sort your list into the seven domains above. Write Section I cleanly, end with Refrain 1/2. Copy its shape to build II–VII, letting the diction darken or lighten; each section ends on the next refrain mutation. In VII, either restore the first refrain exactly or correct the poem’s title/date/author in a final “Colophon” line.

Micro-samples [Use as a feel-check or a template!]

I

p. 2, l. 1 — for “December” read “the late rain.”
p. 4 — “we” should read “you near, then not.”
Index — delete “forever”; insert “for a season.”
Colophon — “light” to read “afterlight.”
Refrain: Leave as is.

II

p. 7, l. 3 — “key” should read “copy of a key.”
n. 2 — add “receipt folded twice.”
p. 9 — strike “gift”; set “return.”
Refrain: Leave, as is.

III

Map — “river” should read “reservoir.”
p. 12, l. 4 — for “storm” read “broadcast.”
Appendix — “distance” to read “detour.”
Refrain: Leave as is?

IV

p. 15 — quote marks misplaced; remove them.
p. 16, l. 6 — “I meant” should read “I learned.”
Refrain: Leave as was.

V

Calendar — “spring” misprinted; set “late.”
p. 20, l. 1 — for “on time” read “in time.”
Refrain: Leave us as is.

VI

n. 5 — “breath” [sic].
p. 24 — strike “stillness”; set “pause.”
Refrain: Leave what is.

VII

Colophon — author to read “the one who returns.”
Title — for “Corrigenda” read “Admittance.”
Date — for “2025” read “undated.”
Refrain: Leave as is.

Optional intensifiers (choose one or more):

• Use Roman numerals (I–VII) for section heads.
• Insert one impossible reference per crown (e.g., p. 0, p. ∞, folio -1).
• Make each section’s first correction echo the first word of the prior section’s last correction (a soft chain).
• Allow one correction to restore tenderness; keep the rest clinical.

Corrigenda Crown

I
p. 0, l. 1 — for “first light” read “false start.”
Index — delete “A.”; insert “Unnamed.”
n. 1 — “father” garbled; retype as “a voice leaving a room.”
Appendix — misunderstanding of dates; reorder heartbreak → spring → birth.
Colophon — “home” should read “doorway I never crossed.”
Refrain: This will have to do.

II
Doorplate — “key” should read “key returned.”
p. 7, l. 3 — for “gift” read “loan, briefly honored.”
n. 2 — add “ticket stub, printed wrong city in bold.”
Folio ∞ — shelves mislabeled; memory placed under “misc. regrets.”
Inventory — strike “souvenir”; set “evidence.”
Refrain: This will have to do,

III
Map — “sea” should read “loud reservoir fenced against swimmers.”
p. 12, l. 4 — for “stormcloud” read “forecast that never came.”
Index — delete “north”; insert “somewhere wetter.”
n. 3 — “June wind” mismeasured; correct to “shy & insufficient.”
Atlas — river mouth misplaced; find it in your throat.
Refrain: This will have to, do.

IV
p. 15 — “I said” should read “I rehearsed.”
Quotation — remove quotes; the truth walked out mid-sentence.
n. 4a — sentimental tone flagged; re-tag as “audited apology.”
Corrigendum — “stay” should read “I might have stayed.”
p. ∞ — misprint of silence; index as “statement.”
Refrain: This will have to undo.

V
Calendar — “spring” overstated; set “late, late.”
p. 20, l. 1 — for “in time” read “out of phase.”
Season notes — monsoon should read “private weather.”
Index — shift “now” to “only once.”
Erratum slip — recall misdated grief; set to “ongoing.”
Refrain: This will have not to do.

VI
n. 5 — “pulse” undercounted; include extra beats from fear.
p. 24 — strike “posture”; set “leaning toward absence.”
Colophon — “skin” spelled wrong; meant “warning.”
Body text — for “breath held” read “breath re-negotiated.”
Appendix — miracles are out of stock; substitute quiet.
Refrain: This will have to un-do.

VII
Title — for “Corrigenda” read “Relearning.”
Author — for “the witness” read “the one who admits.”
Dedication — delete “to no one”; insert “to the late self.”
Date — misprinted; list as “ongoing, with amendments.”
Colophon — please reshelve joy under “possible.”
Refrain: This will have to do. (return, earned)