Found Poetry

Found Poetry

Found poetry takes words, phrases, and sentences from books, articles, advertisements, signs, and even overheard conversations, and rearranges them to create a whole new creative work. Single words are picked out and rearranged, sentences are removed, spaces are added, and a poem which is different and distinctive from the original piece is left.

Sometimes the found poem expands upon or responds to the original source; other times, the found poem might make fun of the original source or twist it in a new, surprising way.

Writing Found Poetry

Found poetry is a very flexible form of poetry to work with. The only rule is that your poem must be created out of some other text – beyond that, the rules are really up to you.

To get started, select the source for your poem. It should have enough words in it to let you shape a whole new poem out of the piece. It should also be something that you find interesting or that stands out to you in some way. You could use:

A chapter, scene, or section from a book
A letter or note from a friend
A newspaper or magazine article or ad
Signs, bulletins, and posters
A guidebook, list of directions, or set or rules
A conversation that you overhear or have with a friend
Graffiti

After you have selected your source, it’s often helpful to highlight, underline, or otherwise mark phrases or words from the original piece that stand out to you or seem especially powerful. Once you have selected some words and phrases to work with, you can begin arranging them on the page.

Found Poem Example

Original News Article: “Dying for a Salad?”

LONDON (Reuters) - Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson has apologized after accidentally recommending a potentially deadly plant in organic salads. The chef and TV presenter said in a magazine article that the weed henbane, also known as stinking nightshade, made an excellent addition to summertime meals.There was plenty of it, it grew locally and was used by the ancient Greeks and the Arabs for its anesthetic properties. Er, not quite. Henbane, or Hyoscyamus niger, is toxic and can cause hallucinations, convulsions, vomiting and in extreme cases death. Worrall Thompson, who was discussing his passion for organic foods, had confused the plant with another of a similar name. The magazine "Healthy & Organic Living" printed an urgent warning: "Henbane is a very toxic plant and should never be eaten. As always, check with an expert when foraging or collecting wild plants."Henbane, a close relative of deadly nightshade, was used by Dr Crippen to kill his wife in 1910, and is thought to have been the main ingredient in the poison Romeo took in Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet." The chef had intended to refer to fat hen, a weed rich in vitamin C, that is edible, media reports said. [2]

Finished Found Poem: “Henbane”

Dr. Crippen intended to kill his wife
With another of a similar name
Juliet, the main ingredient
Convulsions
Toxic passion
There was plenty of it

His wife
Intended to kill Dr. Crippen
When foraging or collecting, his wife
Accidentally
Grew deadly nightshade
An excellent addition to summertime meals