Found Poetry
 

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I was unsure where to start this thread.

I've always enjoyed the idea of found poetry. It has a quixotic quality to it that lends itself well to transcendence — my favorite state of being : )

But this one tears at the heart. The past two months have been a soul-searching time for the world, I think. That is, if you let it be. I am in Mexico, and I attended a powerfully insightful presentation by veteran Middle East news reporter Martin Fletcher (he now lives here in San Miguel Allende) on the subject of the current iteration of the Israeli/Palestinian war. I came away knowing three times as much as I did going into it.

During his presentation Fletcher mentioned a book written in 2020 by Irish writer Colum McCann entitled, Voices of Apeirogon and when I googled it I found this incredible webnaire discussion that took place just a week ago about the book and about the hope that lies waiting to be discovered. Truly worth a listen: Voices of Apeirogon: An Intimate Conversation with Colum McCann and Bereaved Fathers

As the webnaire came to a close one of the participants told a story, which I translated word for word into this found poem:


Parable: The Palestinian and the Jew Meet
(found poetry)

As the woman approached the border
her eyes widened in amazement to see
the same familiar Israeli soldier standing guard
at the checkpoint.

“You are still here?”
“Yes.” the soldier said.
“But why are you still here?
I shot you yesterday.
I killed you yesterday.”

“Yes, you did." the soldier said.
"But I am like you. I forget to die.”



The entirety of the discussion was paradigm deepening for me. Definitely worth a watch/listen.


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Hi Jim,

This is not a natural follow-up to your post, but I think it will fit somewhere into your topic of found poetry. I just belatedly found out that John Lennon copied almost word for word from an old poster from the year 1843 the words for "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" to help fill out the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." He freely admitted it and did not think it his best work because he nicked it but it was an important part of one of the, if not the, most famous innovative music albums ever, by one of the greatest lyricists of all time, who apparently shared your appreciation of found poetry.

Jim R.

A bit of fun I wrote many years ago. Can I post it here?

THANK GOD I LOST IT

I found a found poem and then lost it,,,,
Once I found I had lost it, I lost it,
for I thought with it I might just find fame
I might just have found a poetic name,

but as soon as I found it I tossed it
not caring that I hadn’t embossed it
for I realised it was not the same
as a poem popping out of my brain!

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Hi Derek, This is not found poetry. This appears to be a poem about a poem you wrote once and then found it.

This is a definition of found poetry.

The found poem I started the thread with can be heard on the accompanying link at approximately 58:43 at the very end of the webinar.

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Hi Jim,
Thanks for the comment.
There is no actual poem, only a fiticious 'found' one in the accepted definition of the term which was found by the narrator after he had lost it.
The narrator asks the question whether found poetry has the same worth as other poetry. I was being ironic and can see the worth in found poetry as well all other types. I am sceptical about many modern trends in poetry, but learn much from all the learned Spherians here.

Ah! I should have seen that. For that momernt it was lost on me but now I've found it : )


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Haha Jim, Thanks for the clever response.
Regards
Derek.

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This I found buried in the NYT Year In Visual Review:

Stairs are never just stairs.
Each step is a potential stage
screaming for a dance.


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