2016 Found Object Poem Project: Day 13

It’s Day 13 of our 2016 daily write-in. This year’s theme is FOUND OBJECTS. We have a new writing prompt for every day in February.For those of you who are new to my blog, please read my introductory post about the February daily write-in. You’ll find more information and all of the Week 2 FOUND OBJECT prompts at this post.We're almost at the mid-way point! The project has grown in both participants and in poems produced this year. Tomorrow, along with the Week 3 prompts, I will share some early project statistics with you.Important reminder: I can only take contributions left in the comments. Unless you have an art element that must be emailed, please leave your poems here, marked with the day, so I know which object you are writing in response to. I'm thrilled that so many people are participating this year, but I'm unable to keep track of poems sent in by email. Thanks for understanding!FOUND: Sculpture? Skelton?When Linda Baie of the blog Teacher Dance sent in this object, I knew I had to include it.As you know by now, I don't ask for information on the objects. Sometimes the contributor identifies what's in the picture. This was not one of those times.I have very little idea of what this object might be. I'm excited to hear what everyone makes of it!It makes me happy when I hear that the Found Object of the day took someone down an unexpected path. Diane Mayr wrote in, "The object looked to me to be a seed pod, and when I was researching seed pods, I found the Jimson weed.  Wikipedia had an excerpt from The History and Present State of Virginia (1705) in its article on Jimson weed.  I 'borrowed' it for this poem."Psychedelic Jamestown, 1676: A Found PoemBy Diane MayrAn early plantgather'd very youngfor a boil'd saladby some of the soldiersate plentifully of it.The effect of whichwas a very pleasant comedy.They turned natural fools.One would blow upa feather in the air.Another would dartstraws at it with much fury.And another, stark naked,was sitting up in a cornerlike a monkey, grinning.A fourth would fondly kissand paw his companionswith a countenancemore antic than anyin a Dutch droll.A thousand such simpletricks they playedand after eleven daysreturned themselves againnot remembering anything that had passed.***I also guessed at what the object might be and ended up leaning on information from an article in my poem. My response is 75% found poem. The last four lines are my own addition.Found PoemPufferfish: National Geographic KidsBy Laura ShovanThese clumsyswimmersfill their elasticstomachswith water,blow themselves up-several timesnormal size.Imagine seeinga trick like thatright beforeyour hungry eyes.***Jessica Bigi's poem, along with adorable art, made me laugh out loud. I didn't "see" this when I looked at our Found Object, but of course it could be...Auntylovedsewing.Shesewedall yearlong.She sewedtillthat dayshe sawherpincushionrunningafterher.***

Another found poem?! We were really searching for information on today's object.

Margaret Simon writes, "I know from my research that the picture is not a porcupine, but it sure looks like one.  I played with a found poem today.  I took the text of a Wonderopolis article, copied it into Word, crossed out word, and rewrote a final draft to revise.  I enjoyed the process.  Again, thanks for this invitation to play with poetry every day."

Porcupine Found Poem for Two Voices

Love animals?

Give them a hug.

A porcupine?

What's the big deal?

Sharp quills!

The prickliest!

Quill pigs Quill pigs

Like arrows,

quills detach.

Tiny needles

to pierce to pierce

an important lesson

from a porcupine--

Don't touch! Don't touch!

by Margaret Simon

Found from Wonderopolis "Can Porcupines Shoot Their Quills?"

***

And here is our object contributor, Linda Baie, with her response. Such fun wordplay in this poem.

Close Encounters – Advice?And if you know a puffer fishat times, they make a ball.They float away from danger,quite the smartest act of all.No one can imagine hiddenin the amazing moon-like puff,is a prickle that more than ticklesand you’ll soon be feeling rough.Don’t take a bite or lickle it.It’ll stop your taste of any dish.And you certainly cannot tickle it,the pretty prickle puffer fish.Linda Baie ©All Rights Reserved***More play with form! Mary Lee Hahn has what is sometimes called a "counting out" rhyme, a form that hearkens back to schoolyard games.Jumprope Rhymestickerprickerporcupineburrspineytineypokeryfurseed-headskeletonsculpturefishnever want tomeet youor find youin my dish©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016***Donna Smith says, "Just started listing all the words to go with spiny – no clue what it was, but that was okay. And since my maiden name is on the prickly, spiny list… I wrote that out, too!" What a clever, creative response to our found object!A Pointed RemarkAh, looks like a spiny problem –A prickly situation!I bristled when I heard the barbsWith spinous insinuation.A piercingly sharp comment –Painful thorn in my side;It’s best to dodge the scratches;Avoid the burrs of the snide.@Donna J Thistle Smith, all rights reserved***Charles Waters' poem makes a nice pairing with Donna's response for today.CACTUSBy Charles WatersGreen with envy,your needle point pricklinesshides the ugliness youfeel inside yourself.***Please visit Carol Varsalona's blog Beyond LiteracyLink for a full post about her process in drafting today's poem.Prickly Pallooking at me,what noticingsdo I see?-wooden carving-round hole on side-sharpened quills-big open eyedWill you join mefor a feastat my table,you woodland beast?But wait, you are nota friendly guestyour sharpened edgeswould prick my chest.©CVarsalona, 2016***Catherine Flynn took two of our guesses and combined them into one poem.“Defense Mechanism”By Catherine FlynnInstead of blendinginto the background, meltingout of sight, pufferfish shout“BOO!”Ballooning, triplingin size, drawingtheir swords, warning“STAY AWAY!”Porcupine of the sea.***We had some funny poems today. From the first line of Jone MacCulloch's poem, I was smiling along with our object.Oh hedgieyou prickly little rascalI want to hold youin my handsbutthose poky spikeskeep me awayWho made you?Why do you smile?Were you carve from one piece?What secrets do you keep?© 2016 Jone Rush MacCulloch all rights reserved***

See you tomorrow for Day 14 and the Week 3 FOUND OBJECTS.Interested in what we’ve written so far? Here are links to this week’s poems:Sunday, February 7FOUND OBJECT: Blood Letting KnifePoems by: Diane Mayr, Jessica Bigi, Laura Shovan, Catherine Flynn, Linda Baie, Molly Hogan, Carol Varsalona, Mary Lee Hahn, Matt Forrest Esenwine.Note: You will find links to all of  the Week 1 poems at this post.Monday, February 8FOUND OBJECT: SCULPTURE IN THE WOODSPoems by: Laura Shovan, Jessica Bigi, Heidi Mordhorst, Carol Varsalona, Linda Baie, Margaret Simon, Donna Smith, Diane Mayr, Joanne R. Polner, Kay McGriff, Molly Hogan, Mary Lee Hahn, Catherine Flynn, Jone Rush MacCulloch.Tuesday, February 9FOUND OBJECT: TIRE TRACKS IN SNOWPoems by: Molly Hogan, Jessica Bigi, Linda Baie, Violet Nesdoly, Carol Varsalona, Mary Lee Hahn, Donna Smith, Laura Shovan, Diane Mayr, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Catherine Flynn, Kay McGiff, Charles Waters.Wednesday, February 10 at Reflections on the TecheFOUND OBJECT: LOTUS PODSPoems by: Diane Mayr, Patricia VanAmburg, Jessica Bigi, Molly Hogan, Laura Shovan, Charles Waters, Buffy Silverman, Catherine Flynn, Linda Baie, Carol Varsalona, Violet Nesdoly, Heidi Mordhorst, Donna Smith, Mary Lee Hahn, Margaret Simon.Thursday, February 11FOUND OBJECT: WALNUT DOLLPoems by: Diane Mayr, Carol Varsalona, Laura Shovan, Linda Baie, Violet Nesdoly, Donna Smith, Jessica Bigi, Mary Lee Hahn, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Margaret Simon.Friday, February 12FOUND OBJECT: CREAM? MERINGUE?Poems by: Patricia VanAmburg, Diane Mayr, Jessica Bigi, Margaret Simon, Mary Lee Hahn, Donna Smith, Linda Baie, Carol Varsalona,  Matt Forrest Esenwine, Laura Shovan, Heidi Mordhorst.