Finding Inspiration in Found Poetry

You are invited to share your favorite words, phrases, and lines from a work of children's or young adult's literature in a "found poem."

The basic premise of a found poem:
99% of the words, phrases, lines, etc. are the original author's words; however, you re-arrange the words in a creative and interesting way. Sometimes this creates an amusing anecdote, sometimes a completely different story, sometimes a poignant anecdote.

Your found poem need not follow the order in which the quotes appear in the book (although it can). For the sake of clarity, you may add a small amount of your own words. Please give your poem a title.

A very brief example from Little House in the Big Woods (I have italicized the words that are mine so you have an idea of the ratio of author's words to your own):

Winter Provisions
Once upon a time
the little house was fairly bursting
with good food stored away
like golden little butterpats with a strawberry on the top,
circles, and curlicues, and squiggledy things
of molasses candy,
a pancake man eaten slowly in little bits,
and pickles -- oo, how sour the pickles were!

Once you have created your found poem, feel free to showcase it on a hand-made card, in a framed document, or through some other artistic or creative medium. Will you use swirly, twirly font? Calligraphy? Neatly cut the actual text out from pages of a book? The page is your canvas!

Please include a brief note or letter explaining your inspiration for your found poem and also a small gift that corresponds to the poem or to the book.

You will have 3 weeks to sign up for the swap and 2 weeks to create it.

Summary of what to include:

• found poem with your own title of more than 10-15 lines
• brief note or letter explaining your poem and/or book
• a small gift inspired by your poem and/or book

Note: The image is not my own but comes courtesy of Google Images.