According to Wikipedia – that indispensable fount of knowledge – “Found Poetry is a type of poetry created by taking words, phrases, and sometimes whole passages from other sources and reframing them as poetry (a literary equivalent of a collage) by making changes in spacing and lines, or by adding or deleting text, thus imparting new meaning.”
When I was taking Introduction to Creative Writing 101 about ten years ago, one of our homework assignments was to write a Found Poem. Imagine my surprise (when spring cleaning my office closet several weeks ago) I “found” my Found Poetry. And the themes seem so relevant:
Football Finale:
Every cult – every culture – needs its symbol.
Its priest, its holy places,
Its icons, its laws and its gods.
The NFL furnishes them all.1
If it weren’t for the Super Bowl
Americans couldn’t read Roman numerals
or know that three feet make a yard.2
But then, without the Scots
capitalism and antibiotics
wouldn’t exist. Worse yet – no television.3
1 – Arizona Republic, “A Game of Gods”
2 – Arizona Republic, “Final Score: Super Bowl is lesson in math and humanities”
3 – Wall Street Journal – Advertisement for Scottish Development International
February Politics
Political junkies are much like football junkies.
Every four years we
extrapolate and prognosticate the drama
that could emerge and,
more often than not, we are disappointed.4
But then, rough water is not the place
to check to see whether
you packed your life preserver.5
4 – Arizona Republic – “Quotable Notables”
5 – Arizona Republic – “Think, don’t just cut, in tough times”
February Body Parts
Comforts a little. Comforts a lot.
Minute Clinic. Back to Better. Quicker.6
Telomeres act like plastic caps
on shoe laces, preventing DNA from unraveling.7
The personal performance pulse monitor shows
a pulsating heart as you perspire your way
to a healthier you.8
What time weakens, nature can strengthen.9
It can add years to your life.10
Mighty Putty – might handy
Fix it fast and make it last.11
6 – Arizona Republic Advertisement
7 – Arizona Republic – “Exercise Slows Aging”
8 – Arizona Republic – “Personal observations”
9 – Arizona Republic – “Some hairs just stop growing”
10 – Arizona Republic – “Incredible India”
11 – Arizona Republic – Advertisement – Mighty Putty