English 5599 - Creative Writing For Teachers
Uncovering a Draft
I thought the "Found Poem Exercise" was intriguing. I had never seem anything like it. I decided, after thinking on it for some time, to try to find a poem in the library. I asked myself, what is one of the most important parts of every book? Sometimes an author will take longer finding just the right title for his book than he does writing the book. The title is what many people use to determine whether or not it is worth reading. The old adage, "You can't judge a book by its cover" proves this point.
So, I perused a section of the non-fiction books at the Central Branch Library to see what I could find. The following poem came from this journey. There is nothing extra added to the book titles. I have changed the punctuation in order to give it a more poetic flare. Each title has its own line (including the title of the poem), but read it throughout as you would any other poem. There is meaning here.
My own interpretation is similar to those American Transcendentalists who were critical of the industrialization of the States. What do you think?
Quest for a Continent
America is a civilization,
my neck of the woods
back home.
The cowboys and their interpreters,
The ladder of rivers,
finger lakes,
the Hudson.
New York? Places and pleasures?
Plenty of sea room?
Subways are for sleeping!
The natives are restless!
The broken covenant.
The fabulous frontier,
saints and strangers
dig for pirate treasure,
able to travel.
I shall live
while six million died,
and the violins stopped playing.