Found Poetry
“Found poetry” is simply poetry that is found in any writing that
inspires a reader to create his/her own thoughts in poetic verse.
The following poem by Joy Kogawa is about the way that a
Japanese soldier was treated by the government of Canada during
WWII. Every single line from the poem is taken from a historical
article about Uazusu Shoji. The poet did not write any of these
lines. Instead, she found them and reorganized them into the
following piece of poetry.
“found poem” by Joy Kogawa
uazusu shoji
who was twice wounded
while fighting with the princess pats
in w.w.1
had purchased nineteen acres of land
under the soldiers’ settlement act
and established a chicken farm
his nineteen acres
a two-storied house
four chicken houses
an electric incubator
and 2,500 fowls
were sold for $1,492.59
after certain deductions
for taxes and sundries were made
mr. shoji received a cheque
for $39.32
Found Poem Instructions Instructions adapted from “Found and Headline Poems” from Getting the
Knack: 20 Poetry Writing Exercises by Stephen Dunning and William Stafford.
1.
Carefully re-read the prose text you have chosen, and look for 50–100 words that stand out in
the prose passage. Highlight or underline details, words and phrases that you find particularly
powerful, moving, or interesting.
2.
On a separate sheet of paper, make a list of the details, words and phrases you underlined.
Double space between lines so that the lines are easy to work with. Feel free to add others that
you notice as you go through the prose piece again.
3.
Based on this list, choose a subject and theme for your poem. Your poem can be based on the
subject and theme of your newspaper article, it can put a twist on the subject and theme of your
article, or it can be entirely different.
4. Look back over your list and cut out everything that is dull, or unnecessary, or that just doesn’t
seem right for a poem about your subject. Try to cut your original list in half.
5. As you look over the shortened list, think about the tone that the details and diction convey. Make
sure that you have words that communicate your emotions or those of the person in the prose
text.
6. Make any minor changes necessary to create your poem. You can change punctuation and make
little changes to the words to make them fit together (such as change the tenses, possessives,
plurals, and capitalizations).
7. When you’re close to an edited down version, if you absolutely need to add a word or two to make
the poem flow more smoothly, to make sense, to make a point, you may add up to two words of
your own. That’s two (2) and only two!
8. Read back over your edited draft one more time and make any deletions or minor changes.
9. Choose a title.
10. Copy the words and phrases into your notes or type them in a word processor. Space or arrange
the words so that they’re poem-like. Pay attention to line breaks, layout, and other elements that
will emphasize important words or significant ideas in the poem.
• Read aloud as you arrange the words! Test the possible line breaks by pausing slightly. If it
sounds good, it’s probably right.
• Arrange the words so that they make a rhythm you like. You can space words out so that
they are all alone or allruntogether.
• You can also put key words on lines by themselves.
• You can shape the entire poem so that it’s wide or tall or shaped like an object that reflects
your theme.
• Emphasize words by playing with boldface and italics, different sizes of letters, and so
forth.
11. Keep a copy of the article you based your Found Poem on. This should be included in your
anthology.
Found Poetry Criteria
Your Found Poems Should Be ...
 FOCUSSED
o Your poem should not seem like a bunch of random words
arranged together; your lines should all be related to one
subject or theme, so that an interesting message or emotion
is conveyed
 DETAILED
o Your poem should use effective details from the original
article. Try to go beyond the obvious or predictable. Do you
see any details in the original article that are glossed over or
mentioned very casually, but that you think could be
considered interesting or important? Incorporate those
details into your poem!
 LOGICALLY SEQUENCED
o Your poem should be presented in a logical sequence or
progression – again, it should not seem like a bunch of
random words arranged together ‘randomly’. One line
should flow naturally into the next.
 CLEAR AND CONSISTENT IN TONE
o Your poem should maintain a consistent tone that clearly
and effectively communicates your attitude towards your
theme or subject.
You should keep these criteria in mind when writing the Found
Poem for your anthology.