Sunday, April 16, 2017

Finding poems

I always consider it a miracle of sorts the way poems can sneak up on us.

You can find them hiding anywhere—in your shoes, on the beach, up in the sky, even in the palm of your hand.

Earlier this month a friend who is a professor of English literature at one of the local colleges posted a note on her Facebook page.

She had come across a notice on a neighborhood bulletin board and thought a poem might be hiding there.

Here’s the notice that she shared:

Lost--tan Chihuahua wearing
navy t-shirt.
Do not chase.
Name: Spike

And here’s the poem that I found hiding in it:

Lost--
a tan
Chihuahua
wearing a navy
t-shirt.

Please, don’t
chase my dog,
just call his name:
Spike!

He will come
running to anyone
with open arms and
an open heart

a peanut butter
treat hidden in
your hand.

Is there a trick or secret to "finding" a poem? (What do you think?)

And where do you find poems? (Have you looked under your bed lately? Or at the end of your tube of toothpaste?)

Sometimes it can help if you close your eyes and listen for a kind of music.

Sometimes you might be able to hear words playing together in such a way that they create new sounds in your head. 

Sometimes the words may let you see a new picture that wasn’t there before.

Can you see (or hear) a poem hiding in the notice that my friend shared?

Why not share the poem you find in the comments below?

Help celebrate National Poetry Month with a poem!

Here are a few links to help you find poems that might be hiding right under your nose:
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/found-poem-poetic-form
http://www.foundpoetryreview.com/about-found-poetry 
http://www.creative-writing-now.com/found-poetry

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