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Sunday, March 29, 2020

Found poems

When I started this challenge I gave myself a little extra challenge to try to write a poemish slice once a week. I knew that one poem would be a book spine poem and one would be a found poem. It may seem like cheating to use words that someone else has written but I think when we use these phrases and sentences and rearrange them in a different order, it is still writing, our thoughts and emotions that emerge. This Sunday morning I returned to the comments I have received this month. Reading them was like eating a handful of strawberries. The sweetness of the kind and generous words filled me with gratitude. I picked lines, ordered them, then changed the order, deleted some lines, changed the order a few more times.  I kept the original lines. The only changes I made were taking out few words and changing "your" to "our" in the last line.


A found poem from comments:

what a pleasure to know that we'll be writing together all month long
noticing, paying attention, looking a little more closely at the world around us
writing leans in to whisper in our ears, stirring the mind, the heart
this challenge documents the milestones and moments of our lives 
the daily moments inspire the thinking to come together
we write ourself into a life of connection, into a space where words matter
knowing we are in this together has given us the strength we need
it is always, humbling and heart-warming to realize the world is really a small place 
in which we share so much in common with others
we celebrate each other's joy and feel for each other's losses
our days seem slower now but our writing grows
cheers to our journey


A found poem for my SOLSC 2020 titles:

Sunday morning sunshine
the thoughts without directions
then and now and in between
pretending life is normal
right now
I write
it is what it is

Happy Sunday!



6 comments:

  1. Both poems are coolish and poemish, for sure .... I love found poems, for what they surface
    Kevin

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  2. Both of your found poems attest to what you wrote--"it is still writing, our thoughts and emotions that emerge." Your first poem captures so much of what the challenge means to me and your second is a snapshot of your navigation of the month and these crazy times. I seldom write found poems, but you remind me of their power to shine a light on thoughts and emotions. Thanks!

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  3. Terje, my thoughts are bouncing all over-so excited about what you wrote and how it holds kernels of thoughts. You were able to tightly weave a beautiful poem to express how "writing leans in to whisper in our ears". Writing allows us to "pretending life is normal now" when it really isn't. Adding your photo at the end of poem 2 gives me a boost of joy since our landscape is gray-a new color palette these days. Thank you for the joy your poems brought to me today.

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  4. Words come to us as we write from so many sources, found poems used to feel like cheating until I embraced this realization. My new motto: "Everything is a remix" This frees up so much creative energy and let's ideas flow more generously. The first reflects what others see and connect with in you as a writer, and the second your own themes and identity. LOVE THESE!

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  5. The words may belong to others, but the thoughts and feelings are entirely yours. One of the joys of writing is to play with words until they say exactly what we want them to say or they say exactly what they want to say.

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  6. What a wonderful way to come (nearly) to a close at the end of this month. I love found poems, and these really speak to me because I hear your voice through your choices. I also need to comment on your lovely phrasing in your opening paragraph, "Reading them was like eating a handful of strawberries." Yes - that is just the sweetness we need right now, isn't it? I may follow your lead in the next day or two.

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