Bout of Books Challenge: Found Poem
(image credit: Konstantin Kirillov via Dreamstime)
Create a found* poem in three easy steps!
Welcome to the found poem challenge at Pen In Her Hand for Bout of Books. I’m thrilled to be hosting this challenge! There is no prize other than the joy of creating, so let’s begin and have fun!
Just choose a novel from any genre, print or ebook, that you’re reading or have finished. I used Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison. Pick a number between 1 and 10, and you’re ready to start!
1. Flip to a page at random. Using your trusty number (for example, let’s use 7) count down 7 lines. Then count in 7 words. Write that word down. Repeat this process until your have fourteen words. Here are my words: have, general, darkness, week, sit, all, do, because, my, the, secret, what? says.
2. Delete two words and add in two words of your own. I deleted the words general and my. I added the words pause and then.
3. Now arrange your words any way you like to finish your found poem. Here’s my poem:
All week sit, do, put, have—
Then pause because…
The secret darkness
Says what?
Note: If a counted word doesn’t work (profanity or proper name), just go on to the next word.
Easy, right? Now it’s your turn to post your poem or a link to your poem in the comments for us to enjoy! And please tell us what book you used to create your poem.
*What is a found poem? A found poem consists of words taken from other written sources such as manuscripts, newspaper headlines, street signs, that are then crafted into a poetic form.
101 thoughts on “Bout of Books Challenge: Found Poem”
I picked “After The End” by Amy Plum.
My number is 6.
My 14 words are: she’s, go, taken, and, sense, from, that, I, lips, where, pull, must, freak, won’t.
Change “pull” to “my”, and “won’t” to “me”.
I must go
Where she’s taken.
My lips sense that; freak.
And from me.
Hi Andrea Rose,
My number was 6, too! I especially like how you worked freak with that chilling last line “And from me.” Good job!
I haven’t written a poem in years!
I used The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, and used #5.
Words: have, we, special, you, then, said, heaven, my, soulless, not, cars, game, of, the
Replaced: cars with love, game with heart
Have we heaven? you said.
My soulless heart, not –
The love of.
Hi Sharlene,
I’m so glad you joined in, especially since you haven’t written a poem in years. Your poem is very beautiful and soulful. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome! Love the book and love your poem!!
soft something screamed vote that but a
house dogs hurled ferociously the fantasy help
those are the words I got using the number eight in the book Lies, by Michael Grant. Here is my poem:
The fantasy dogs,
hurled that house ferociously.
But a soft something screamed
Help vote
Hi SaraRose,
Wow! I love the alliteration you used with hurled and house, and soft something. Nice juxtaposition of dark and light forces. Thanks for joining in!
Book Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach
He only carried a wash bag,
idea and him
And not wearing much to comment
Hi Jasmine,
This one turned out so cute and funny! Hmmm…I’m picturing him now not wearing much and carrying a wash bag. Delicious!
http://kerrieanns.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/a-found-poem-bout-of-books-9-0-readathon-challenge/
The brave Great Ship to undo
cut-throat Sorc’rer’s tongue.
Believe not of his lies.
Hi Kerrie Ann,
This is a fun one! Wonderful the way lies and tongue work together. I think I would not believe a Sorc’er’s lies either, especially if he had a cut throat! I visited your site, too.
I used “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell:
Watch words damage head,
hand, heart.
Hurt – Feel changed.
Have precious bed,
Want rescue.
I really enjoyed this challenge – a fun way to work with words! Thank you!
Wonderful poem, Sarah! And so appropriate to Rowell’s work, I think (although I’m just finishing my first Rowell book Eleanor & Park). I think of Eleanor and how words damaged her. Have you read that one?
Thanks for participating!
Thank you! I love Rowell, and I did very much enjoy Eleanor & Park!
Hi, I really enjoyed this challenge! It was something different and fun 🙂
My entry can be found here.
Hi Lauren,
I had fun reading your poem. What great words Daughter of Smoke provides. Thanks for joining in!
I picked up “The Dead and the Gone” by Susan Beth Pfeffer and used the number 3.
My words: care, they, where, heard, special, would, be, almost, nothing, at, on, will, thoughts, pesto
I changed AT to GO and PESTO to HE. Just couldn’t get Pesto to work in this poem. LOL
My found poem:
Special thoughts,
Heard.
Will he go on?
Where would nothing be?
They care,
Almost
Thanks for hosting this challenge! It was really fun, and when I first got my words I was thinking “how in the world am I going to make a poem out of this?!” when suddenly it popped out! I think I am going to use this is a lesson ice breaker with some of my students.
Hi Jenna,
That’s so cool! Please let me know how it goes with your students. I love connections.
Your poem is wonderful. “Where would nothing be?” is such an evocative paradox. Your ending is wrenching. Nice!
This challenge was so much fun. My entry is here: http://laura-noakes.com/2014/01/09/bout-of-books-readathon-day-4/
This was fun! Mine came out a little naughty though…
Where the boat she knelt still,
bent in need,
name was thought,
hands stroked.
Cool challenge! I used “Hyperbole and a half” by Allie Brosh
I changed one “it” to “books”, and “you” to “mind”
toward it
the place
there
possess it
anything
a couple of books
mind surgery
I used Revolutionary by Alex Myers and posted about it here
My poem came from using the number 7 in the book Matched by Ally Condie, it turned out ok but not great.
The words I had were that clear microcard want wish the showing at real is fine it Grandia Xander
I traded that for my and it for is
Here is the poem:
Microcard Xander?
Not real.
Showing Grandia,
the want is clear.
My wish is fine.
Hi Brittany,
You’re a poet! I like your patterning and letter echoing in the last two lines with want/wish and is/is. Thanks for joining in!
Thanks! Haha, I do write poetry when I can.
Such a fun challenge! I used Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and the number 5.
My Words: a, until, pretty, of, knew, head, my, were, he, strong, into, you’d, in, no
I exchanged WERE and IN for BE and WAY.
No. You’d be strong
until he knew of a way
into my pretty head
Thanks for hosting!
Ok, my number is 3, and I’m picking words from the book I’m currently reading, The Shadowhunter’s Codex. This should be fun.
My words: seraphic, conditions, that, a, particularly, the, this, They, one, demons, find, more, true, allow
I’m scratching a and allow, and adding demonic and covenant.
My poem:
They demons find
The seraphic conditions
More true
that this one particularly
demonic covenant.
So clunky, I know, but it was a fun challenge to do. Thank you for hosting! 😉
Hi Caterina,
Your motif of demons and seraphs works well here. I think my favorite is the first line “They demons find” Thank you for participating!
Wow, this was hard! I exchanged tall and convent for And and elsewhere 🙂
Foreigners at bakery,
worked,
And Anyone,
Even I
sit down
want to be
elsewhere
Here is my poem:
In natural amber
sisters for fate said …
ancient nation
joyrider Phaeton
on chariot
… away
I used Jewels: A Secret History (called Buried Treasure in the UK) by Victoria Finlay. Pretty evocative words for a nonfiction book about gemstones. I feel like I should do better with such great words but want to get back to reading instead. 🙂
I’m using “White Hot” by Sandra Brown and the number 5. And these are my words: poured, his, time, step, over, steel, feet, daddy, you, your, of, another, into, ’cause
I’m deleting daddy and ’cause and adding one and them.
And this is my poem:
Your over one of them
Poured into another time
You step his steel feet
The book I chose is “Faitheist” by Chris Stedman
Number: 7
Words: I, religious, subzero, years, of, Even, on, recognized, high, the, a, perception,time, and
Word changed: I to on, the to feelings
Poem:
Recognized years of
subzero high of religious
feelings, Even on a perception
and time
Hi Ali,
I love this opening–the subzero high (a wonderful paradox) and the recognition. Very nice. Thanks for posting!
Here’s my attempt!
http://bftreviews.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/bout-of-books-9-0-thursday-challenge/
Book used: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderon
The epic way you asked us,
Unloading half, planning half,
Tossing the desk about
Hi Michelle,
This is so great! I love the repetition (epistrophe) of the word half. Tossing the desk about is nice because it could be literal or metaphorical. Very evocative. Thanks!
Hi! My number was 5 and I used For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.
My 14 words are: Evening, new, walls, place, Gill, these, carriage, sides, side, share, our, hissed, as, have
I exchanged Gill for bored and side for bottom
Evening walls hissed–
These carriage sides,
As new place share–
Our bored bottom have.
This was difficult and tried as I might I couldn’t get my poem to make sense completely. This was a fun challenge though, thank you for hosting it 🙂
Hi Tiffany,
What fun! I liked the personification of the evening walls hissed–onomatopoeia, too! The bored bottom made me laugh. Thank you!
I used The Picture of Dorian Gray and the #9! I swapped “these” & “lodging” for “said” & “contraire”!
He would write,
becoming more by worship
of elocution
Au contraire,
said the lady.
My try you can find here: http://behindthelastpage.blogspot.com/2014/01/found-poem-challenge.html
I am currently reading Divergent by Veronica Roth
Number chosen: 8 Words: Christina, the, letting, together, she, do, covered, grunt, video, sure, me, founded, muttering, of
Delete and add two words: deleting- covered and video; adding- she’s and whatever
3. Christina, she founded me,
She’s sure of letting,
Together the muttering, grunt(s),
“Do whatever”
Hi Tanya,
This one is fun! I get a real sense of the character you’ve built here. “Do whatever” is so voice-y. Thanks for participating!
I chose the #9. Loved this challenge!
Impossible armor circled abound
wired herself of realization
Looking internal: new fact is you.
Hi Christina,
You’ve worked these words so well! Love the impossible armor and how it circles and wired her. What was your book?
The book I chose was broken symmetry by dan rix
1. leaving 2. of 3. rock 4. legs 5. on 6. my 7. couldn’t-delete- add: love 8. his 9. pretty 10. be 11. southern 12. top 13. corrected 14. we’ll-delete- add: alone
My love of leaving
Rock his legs on top
Southern Pretty
Corrected alone
Hi Tayla,
Your poem is very fun. I like how the love of leaving in the beginning (great alliteration, by the way) is picked up in the end with alone. Thanks for joining the challenge!
I chose I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak, my first completed read during Bout of Books.
My number was 8.
My fourteen words were: and, laughter, I, spades, lips, stay, tasting, faster, crowd, why, doors, interrupted, regret, the.
I changed “the” to “close,” and “spades” to “move.”
Interrupted lips,
I stay –
tasting laughter and
regret.
Why?
Crowds move faster,
doors close.
Hi Samantha,
I get a real sense of time lost, regret, the road not taken. Doors close is the perfect ending. Thank you!
I went non-fiction to see if it would work. From Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age, I ended up with:
In his struggling jump
I, like the magnet Atlantic
He, a construction of thunder
Neat challenge. Thank you for hosting!
Hi Katherine,
Non-fiction totally works! Love the construction of thunder metaphor. Good job!
I made a post for this and here is the link. http://kimberlysnovelnotes.blogspot.com/2014/01/bout-of-books-90-update.html
This was so fun!! Thanks for the challenge :).
My number is five, and I’m plucking words from my book, Beta.
I think it will sound a bit sci-fi, depressing, and a little monotonous.
Well, um, HERE YOU GO! 😀
My words: first, awoke, no, know, concept, mother, typical, of, my, her, she, observing, blurry, awakening
I cut out ‘she’ and ‘awakening’, replacing them with ‘her’ and ‘someone.’
BETA – RACHEL COHN
First awoke, no mother.
Observing my blurry concept–
Typical of her.
Someone knows my mother.
My blurry awakening–
No concept, observing.
A pair of haikus! 🙂
Hi An,
Definitely not monotonous. You use repetition to good effect. “Typical of her” echoes “first awoke, no mother” to develop your thoughtful mood. Thanks for posting!
Here’s my found poem based on my current read, Code Name Verity.
To stop all makes nothing peculiar.
You and I
(now dead)
can coast forever…
This one gives me chills. You and I (now dead) can coast forever is sort of creepy and beautiful at the same time. Well done!
I chose Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. Here is what I got:
Had you in
Sitting back
Amused. Up.
Ground-floor Sera,
We blind on that day?
All my challenge answers can be found here http://jazminjade.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/bout-of-books-read-a-thon-9-0-challenges/
Hi Jazmin,
I love this. The short phrasing and final line sort of remind me of Sandra Cisneros. Have you read her? Thanks for participating.
I picked “Allegiant” by Veronica Roth.
My number is 3.
My 14 words are: up, you, that, start, it, play, David, the, and, own, one, my, person, there’s.
Change “and” to “bird”, and “the” to “aware”.
There’s a person who owns a bird
You start to play with it
Aware that my one and only
Is up there – at David’s choir
Well that was fun hehehehe my poem turned out to be a little bit senseless and tragic – BUT STILL – FUN FUN FUN !!!
Hi Marta,
Not senseless, but definitely tragic! You worked your words together so well. Sad, sad bird…I’m so glad you had fun.
http://angelica-2009.blogspot.com/2014/01/bout-of-books-90-mini-challenges.html
Ahhh. I was always bad a poetry. But this challenge was fun!! I don’t even know if it makes sense to other people. But reading this book, I think it came out pretty perfect.
I used “Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour” by Morgan Matson
I used #5.
My words were: tell, thinking, said, we’d, of, again, into, Quiet, Stars, that, for, was, really, us
Replaced: “tell” with “staring” and “said” with “sat”
My found poem:
Staring again into Stars,
We’d sat thinking of Quiet,
for that was really us.
Hi Adri,
This is fantastic! I don’t know the book, but I can really get a sense of it from your poem. The capitalized words work well also. I love the way Staring and Stars work together. Thank you!
I picked Angelfall, which was a recent read for the Bout of Books. I flipped to a random page, page 206, and my number was 9.
Here are my words:
watching, I, for, elevator, strewn, disease, for, to, could, stop, of, then, almost, his
I’ll take out strewn and disease and replace them with hope and memories
So…
Watching, I, for elevator
Then, almost could to,
For his hope, of memories
Stop
This was really interesting, I hope it turned out alright. It was fun to read everyone else’s!
Hi Violet,
Your poem is great! It really reminds me of the poet e.e. cummings. Do you know his work? Thanks for posting!
I like how your poem turned out. Here’s mine from The Moonstone: http://bibliographicmanifestations.blogspot.com/2014/01/found-poem-challenge.html
Here’s mine, I used Inferno by Dan Brown and chose the number 3
He turned his face.
The glowing sea of copper.
Traveling down the strange, deadly countryside.
Hi Amanda,
This one turned out great! I love the image of the glowing sea of copper. Thank you!
Very fun and creative challenge.
Book Title: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Words: she, have, all, he, curb, man, hand, as, black, his, perfect, room, making, and
Word Swap: curb–>hold making–>my
Poem:
Black room
perfect as she
Hold my hand
have all man…
he and his
Hi Louisa,
Your switch-out is good: Hold my hand is infinitely better than curb my hand. Ha! The ending he and his juxtaposed with the earlier she is pretty cool. Thanks for joining in!
I used Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson and used #3.
Words: sprinkling towards happiness been in these frozen table is said by wail while to
Replaced: table with days, to with dazed
Been in these frozen days
Sprinkling towards happiness
Is said by wail while dazed
Nice, Melissa! I like the play you did with days and dazed. Sprinkling towards happiness is such a cool metaphor. Did you like Behind the Scenes at the Museum?
I loved Behind the Scenes! Atkinson is brilliant.
Hi Melissa,
Yes, one of the things I admire about Atkinson is her ability to weave the past into the present story. Each time you come around the circle, you have a bit more of the intricate puzzle filled in. Another of her novels that does this so well is When Will There Be Good News? Have you read that one? It’s part mystery, part family tale. Very smart and rich. It’s probably my favorite of hers.
Book: The Madman’s Daughter
Number: 17
Words: Chest, irrationally, was, like, you, me, hands, softness, rode, tonight, doorway, so, reaching, this
Changed “chest” to “your” and “rode” to “in”.
In this doorway tonight
You… your hands, softness reaching
so like me,
irrationally
Hi Awyn,
This is lovely. The ending is totally cool with the surprising rhyme. Thank you!
That was kind of fun…read my poem here: http://inspirationflies.blogspot.com/2014/01/bout-of-books-day-4.html
Uncomfortable Darkness
Took car
New Idea
Really wishing, hoping
Might jump
Saved
Next night
Book: Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Hi Reading All Night,
This really works as a narrative poem. I’m so glad the narrator is saved! The ending “Next night” is provocative as the reader doesn’t know if it will be a return of the angst or the saving to come the next night. Thanks!
here is a link to mine http://jennreneeread.blogspot.com/2014/01/readathon-bout-of-books-90-thursday.html
Hi! This is so fun!
I picked the number 7.
I used the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My 14 words are: being, eyes, was, if, true, any, home, only, no, clouds, put, meeting, nodded, young.
I took out put and was
I replaced them with peculiar and truth
Here’s my poem!
Young being nodded
Peculiar eyes meeting
No true home, only clouds
If any truth
That was HARD!
Hi Rikki,
Your poem is so fun! I think my favorite line is “No true home, only clouds” because you can interpret that in such different ways. I always like words or phrases with multiple meanings. Good job!
I chose my current read, xxxHOLiC: AnotherHOLiC by NisiOisiN. I actually used the number 7 also. My words were: closer, you, but, in, your, much, could, from, why, apparently, meaningful, self-destructive, everything, & is.
I changed “from” to “We” and I changed “your” to “be.”
Here is my poem:
We could be much closer…
But why?
Apparently everything meaningful in you is self-destructive.
Hi Kimberly,
Great poem! It’s amazing how all the words work together to make complete sentences. The last line really delivers a punch. Thank you!
I used The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand. My number was 8. My words were: was, clean, order, reason, trance, the, of, gone, records, report, like, was, their, found. Replaces a was and records with a and getaway.
Their order was gone;
Like a trance – the reason found
Report of clean getaway
Loved this challenge!
Hi Adriana,
I enjoyed your poem! The clean getaway works so well with order was gone. Nicely done! Thank you so much!
I used A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. My number was 4 and my words were: royal, convene, command, to, thousand (replaced for treasury), costs, expense, will, debt, had (replaced for mad), shrug, shook, loathes, said.
Here’s my found poem:
To convene treasury costs,
Will mad debt loathes.
Shrug royal command,
Shook said expense.
This one is so fun! I enjoyed the way you could work treasury costs with debt and royal command and said expense. I also loathe mad debt! Thanks for sharing your poem.