Found Poetry

I am no poet. I’ve never published a poem, and although I used to write poetry a lot as a child and a teenager, I don’t do it seriously now. I’m just not good at it. Can’t get the knack. I envy people who can write with the layered simplicity of the poet: It’s a skill I’ve never developed.

That said, there is one type of poetry I do dabble in—something I’ve found not only great fun, but excellent practice. I’m talking about found poetry.

Found poems are based on the words of others. They take paragraphs and passages written for other purposes and shape them, alter them, transform them. They are like collage, built up of things found here and there, but put together in a way that makes them utterly new.

Found poetry begins with texts. Almost any text will do: newspaper articles, bumper stickers, political speeches, graffiti, song lyrics. Perhaps the most famous—and certainly one of the most remarkable—is one that was lifted directly from an 1819 tract on mechanics by physicist William Whewell, who had no idea he was creating poetry when he wrote:

Hence no force, however great,
can stretch a cord, however fine,
into a horizontal line
which is accurately straight.

(Apparently, Whewell was not pleased when he found that his treatise has been used as poetry: He changed the sentence in the next edition of his work.)

My own attempts at the genre aren’t exactly great literature, but they’re fun. Here’s one I threw together based on a classified ad that made me smile:

For sale:
9.42 magical acres.
A lovely, rustic home,
Lovingly cared for these last 30 years.
Two deep wells for fresh, clear water.
A walking trail leading through woods.
A meditation grove.
Native trees. Wildflowers.
Cliffs. Canyons. A shimmering lake.
A place for the spirit, set away from the world.
Fifteen minutes to Whole Foods.

I enjoy writing found poetry because it compels me to search texts. It makes me pay attention to words in everyday life, listen to their sound, and explore the ways they are woven together. It reminds me that poetry can crop up in unexpected places. That it is everywhere.

To look at other (and much better) examples of found poetry, take a look at the Found Poetry blog: http://foundpoetry.wordpress.com.

Better yet, try your own—you’ll be surprised at how addictive it is. Start with the blurb on a cereal box or a flyer on a bulletin board or even a recipe. Have fun!