PD30 Day 15: Found Poetry
September 15, 2008 by J.C. Hewitt
Found poetry is poetry that is created using existing sources such as newspapers, novels, manuals, advertisements, web pages or any other sources. You capture words, phrases, even passages from these sources and combine them in a way that gives it a new meaning. The rules for found poetry are loose. A found poem is the literary equivalent of a collage. Here are some methods for developing found poems:
Erasure: Selectively erase words from the text, keeping only the ones that contribute to your poem.
Arrangement: Arrange the source material into lines and stanzas.
Look for patterns: You can’t always find rhymes, alliteration, meter and assonance in existing texts, but if they are there, you can use them to give the poem a little more pop.
Punctuation: Adjusting or subtracting the punctuation is often a necessity when working with found poetry. For the most part though, you don’t want to significantly change the meaning of the original text. The point is to find the poetry in what already exists.
Today’s Poetry Prompt
Create your own found poem. If you are looking for inspiration, use Google News to find an article to your liking.
Related links
- 30 Poems in 30 Days set for September (0.500)
- All About 30 Poems in 30 Days (0.500)
- PD30 Day 1: I Believe in Poetry (0.500)
- PD30 Day 2: Generally Be Specific (0.500)
- PD30 Day 3: A Review of Meter (0.500)
DFW You Are Not a Literary Footnote
David Foster Wallace hanged himself Friday
His first novel, “The Broom of the System”
Was a combination of Joycean word games, literary parody and
Zany picaresque adventure of contemporary America run amok.
(His mind just ran amok. His brain chemicals ran amok.)
He was “just a noticing machine” they said.
“He just knew too much.
He struggled to find meaning in existence,
light against darkness.”
He said in a speech, “Pay attention or
You will be totally hosed.”
“Think of the old cliche’” he told them,
“The mind is an excellent servant but a terrible master.”
(He was dead long before the rope broke his neck.)
Maryellen Gradys last blog post..LORD, THERE’S JUST ONE SET OF FOOTPRINTS THANKS TO SARAH PALIN
“Milk and Honey”
We’ve discussed a lot about the nature
Of mothers love, about her
Unconditional responsibility and
Ability to nurture the growing
Life.
And hence the next her step:
To teach the child to feel the goodness
Of being born.
And to present a wish of being live,
Together with a love for life.
To give him feeding milky breast,
But with a spoon of honey.
Oh, almost all the mothers give us milk.
Why only few of them know honey thing.
Sandras last blog post..Kengūriška naktis
SET UP
Click
Follow
FOLLOW
Click
VIEW UPDATE VIEW VIEW
wish to drop Click FINISH DROPPING Select OFFICIAL Enter (Enter) Enter
Click
HELP
HELP
details
details
confirmation
HELP
Getting Help…
HELP
Due
HELP
confirmation
HELP
INSTRUCTIONS
HELP
Serving a Profession
I am someplace over
The middle of the country
In a plane
I hate flying
I want what’s on the other side
San Diego
Financial Advisors
CEOs and senators
Amazing business opportunities
Friendships that cross generational lines
My buddy TB was an Olympic-caliber runner
SS was Kurt Warner’s backup in college
I have senior vice presidents in my cellphone
What are you doing for your profession?
Are you a member of your professional association?
Do you unify your voice with others of your ilk?
Why not?
What is your excuse?
Found here: http://tinyurl.com/5nqkmh
Not sure if I am keeping to the spirit of the prompt…but hey, check out the article anyway. It’s entertaining. =)
********************************
Legally Binding
Go ahead
Sign sign
You know you want to
Go ahead
Sign sign
Agree to all rules in this contract
Because
You will be making The Man
A truly happy person
For the rest of his life
Yes, for the rest of his life
Really you will
Until you realize
Only a loser
Requires legally binding documents
From his girlfriend.
From “Be the perfect girlfriend”, Jon Wilde
@ Maryellen
I was very sad to hear of Wallace’s suicide. As for myself, I’m still working hard just to become a footnote.
@ Sandra
I knew there had to be some sort of trick.
@ Gary
Reminds me of my latest documentation project.
@ Sheer
If you had fun and wrote a poem, don’t sweat the “rules”. You didn’t sign a contract.
go ahead
get down
down
down
go ahead
go ahead
show em what ya know
go ahead
go down
down
dip and come back
go ahead
go down
down
down
until you touch the ground
and rock
and roll
and shake it like
a rump shaker
go down
down
down
go ahead
show em what ya got
show em what ya are made of
you can be this
you can be that
but at the end
show em what you got
go down
down
down
everybody scream
we got needs
go and show em
go down
down
down