Today I went in search of a found poem, a poem where words are borrowed and arranged to create something new, something fresh, something meaningful out of the words collected from others. I printed the article, The Power of Teaching Poetry: A Conversation Between Renee Watson and Linda Christensen from Rethinking Schools and as I read, I marked words and phrases that spoke to me. Later, I typed those words and phrases into a document and then started arranging, rearranging, repeating, excluding until I came up with a poem that says something that matters to me.
Many thanks to Amy over at Ethical ELA and #verselove for today’s prompt and the inspiration to find my own poem in my own way.
I Have it in my Bones: A Found Poem
Writing is not a competitive sport
Everyone has their own voice, different stories
Who have you touched with your hands?
What are the stories of the scars on your knee?
Our memories, the recipes, a space to enter
I have it in my bones
Poetry can be a container for emotions
We’re angry
We’re sad
We’re confused
All of me was welcome
My joy and my pain
My frustration, my questions
I weave poetry
A raft of poems
Eerie medley, location-notes, love calls
Whistles and grunts
Sounds that all melt into a liquid
I have it in my bones
I’m not perfect
Courage is contagious
Joy is resistance
Play with language
Eyes of poetry
Outrageous verbs
Repetition, listing, repeating
Writing is serious
It kind of explodes
Planting seeds, fanned the flames
Feel free
Wild and risky
Nurtured me
I have it in my bones
Thinking Through My Lens 