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Thread: Found Poems

  1. #1
    Senior Member ChrisGeorge's Avatar
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    Default Found Poems

    Hi all

    There is such a thing as a "found poem" wherein the writer finds some piece of writing that was never meant to be a poem and presents it as a newly found poem. Such poems can be found from combinations of words in a newspaper, or in street signs, or anywhere. I remember some years ago the American poet Robert Wallace at a reading I helped sponsor at Loyola College that I attended read a found poem that he had found in a toilet--

    Born a virgin
    died a virgin
    laid in her grave

    In London during the Sixties, I recall seeing some hippies in Euston Station as I waited for a train to take me back up to the 'Pool. Two signs were above the long-haired gents that said "WAY OUT. . . . GENTLEMEN." Not so much a poem but still a found statement. Similarly, after Christmas looking out of the train I saw a sign with a missing letter that said "ELF STORAGE."

    In any case, this is all a preamble to giving a link to an article, "David Bunn: The Lost Poetry of Card Catalogs" by Alaina Sloo, which references in part found poems discovered in the card catalogue of the Liverpool Central Library by Professor David Bunn.



    I encourage you to put any found poems you discover around Liverpool or elsewhere in this thread.

    Chris
    Christopher T. George
    Editor, Ripperologist
    Editor, Loch Raven Review
    http://christophertgeorge.blogspot.com/
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  2. #2
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    One that I seen on a toilet wall.

    The man who invented fu$%ing wants decorating.

    The man who invented decorating wants fu$%ing.

  3. #3
    Senior Member ChrisGeorge's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ged View Post
    One that I seen on a toilet wall.

    The man who invented fu$%ing wants decorating.

    The man who invented decorating wants fu$%ing.
    A good one. Thanks, Ged. Any more, anyone?

    Chris
    Christopher T. George
    Editor, Ripperologist
    Editor, Loch Raven Review
    http://christophertgeorge.blogspot.com/
    Chris on Flickr and on MySpace

  4. #4
    Senior Member ChrisGeorge's Avatar
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    From a correspondent in New Zealand:

    Kia Ora Chris

    I enjoyed reading your page about found poetry. in 1991 I was at a workshop in Wellington (NZ) tutored by Roger McGough. We met in the Wellington Chess Club library and Roger presented us with a 'found' poem taken from the titles of the books, but he changed 'chess' to 'cheese'. It was hilarious.

    Waiata
    Christopher T. George
    Editor, Ripperologist
    Editor, Loch Raven Review
    http://christophertgeorge.blogspot.com/
    Chris on Flickr and on MySpace

  5. #5

    Default

    Hiya, Chris. I hope these two found poems are examples of the sort of thing you're looking for here. I do have one found in a tv news report and, maybe, another sketch from a scene described in a murder investigation with a bit of speculation to end it. Will post over next few days once I have salvaged them from my archives

    Hope you and all enjoy:



    (1)

    4 tune

    Stirling man at the bookies
    screwed up his eyes

    looked twice

    a greyhound
    “fourpennyworth”
    4.44 race
    Brough Park
    trap 4

    4 / 1 odds

    laid £4 bet
    and the dog finished
    in 4th place




    Found poem from Sunday Post 10th November 2002 news short.



    (2)

    Job Lotto!

    With fifteen thousand applicants chasing fifteen street
    sweeping vacancies in Manchester the problem
    of whittling candidates down to interview stage was
    monumental, especially with graduates to consider,
    overstressed teachers and such.




    However
    the
    task
    was
    completed
    eventually.





    Selection
    was
    made
    by
    putting
    the name of each suitable
    case on a scrap of
    paper and drawing
    them from a hat!






    * *
    Poem found in news article published by the Manchester Evening News mid 1980s (exact date not known).

  6. #6

    Default apropos of 'Found Poetry'

    http://www.liverpoolpoet.talktalk.net/poetryfound.html

    what do you think? You never know, you might find one!

    here's my contribution...




    'Inner Peace'

    can be found

    apparently

    if you service your old boiler

    'regularly'

    ***



    thanks to a Powergen poster for this little gem - Well, it made me smile! :0)
    Last edited by Liverpool_Poet; 06-30-2007 at 04:58 PM.

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