Found Poetry is literately poetry that you find in everyday writings, news articles, graffiti, in short, anywhere. It can be intended or unintended. It’s a skill of recognizing, not writing. I found poems in lots of places…examples below are from a ubiquitous napkin that you use and throw away minutes later and an album from the late 1950’s.
from a napkin at chipotle
this napkin is made
from 90% post-consumer
unbleached paper
it could have been
an electricity bill or
a parking ticket
in its past life
forgive
&
forget
from the back cover of the love nest album
(cover written by Steve Allen; excepted and arranged by me)
now all hear this,
this one voice sliced four ways
this sound almost unbelievably pleasant
that opens fresh meadows of mathematical possibility
and floods us, washing our brains with honey,
closing our eyes and making us shake our heads
with unbelief
hear them rub two notes together, making sparks
form in the dark behind our eyes
hear them float, like a bubble in the happy air
lace a delicate change through it
a cascade of tones that slips into the body of the chord
like rich cream through iced-coffee in the sun
the top was down on the car and the wind
was licking my eyes
in my ears swam the sound,
the rich marshmallow high-calorie sound
that gave the car new horse-power
I turned the radio up higher
and sang along like a goof
I wanted to pull back on the steering wheel
and float up into the air
but I just roared along splashing music all
over the road.
the parts run sometimes straight
like stratified rock
and then
there’s the earthquake-trace
and lines that explode out
and away
and in
and out
and tie you in delicious knots of appreciation.
dig the kaleidoscoping blend
you shake the box and there are changes
stereophonic breathing –both lungs
they say see-squested and not suh-questered
these eggheads of harmony
you’ll take another look next time
because great art makes you appreciate the familiar
I would like to take off my hat
or my whole head
and bow low in gratitude
from 90% post-consumer
unbleached paper
it could have been
an electricity bill or
a parking ticket
in its past life
forgive
&
forget
from the back cover of the love nest album
(cover written by Steve Allen; excepted and arranged by me)
now all hear this,
this one voice sliced four ways
this sound almost unbelievably pleasant
that opens fresh meadows of mathematical possibility
and floods us, washing our brains with honey,
closing our eyes and making us shake our heads
with unbelief
hear them rub two notes together, making sparks
form in the dark behind our eyes
hear them float, like a bubble in the happy air
lace a delicate change through it
a cascade of tones that slips into the body of the chord
like rich cream through iced-coffee in the sun
the top was down on the car and the wind
was licking my eyes
in my ears swam the sound,
the rich marshmallow high-calorie sound
that gave the car new horse-power
I turned the radio up higher
and sang along like a goof
I wanted to pull back on the steering wheel
and float up into the air
but I just roared along splashing music all
over the road.
the parts run sometimes straight
like stratified rock
and then
there’s the earthquake-trace
and lines that explode out
and away
and in
and out
and tie you in delicious knots of appreciation.
dig the kaleidoscoping blend
you shake the box and there are changes
stereophonic breathing –both lungs
they say see-squested and not suh-questered
these eggheads of harmony
you’ll take another look next time
because great art makes you appreciate the familiar
I would like to take off my hat
or my whole head
and bow low in gratitude
I should have thought of the back of an album!! Good eye on that. Also, that Chipotle napkin is awesome - they have some of the most random writing on them anyway.
ReplyDelete*wanders off in search of a sofritas bowl*
Thanks, Tanita! My son is into a lot of different kinds of music and is collecting original vinyl records. I told a friend at work how much he likes Dave Brubeck and he found 6 in his parents' basement. The other one (where I found content) was one he must have picked up by mistake (or the universe knew I need a source!) because it's the Hi-Ho's not Dave B. After reading the back, I am really looking for forward to hearing the album, but my son has the turntable!
ReplyDelete