FOUND+POETRY

 For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
 * || **Dreams** || ||  ||
 * ||  || Hold fast to dreams

- Langston Hughes

Jaime Smith || ||^  ||



I found this picture poetic and find ballet poetic because of the amount of rhythm and emotion it takes to either make a poem or do ballet. It also takes dedication and inspiration to become a poet or ballerina and both ballerinas and poets create beautiful pieces for the entertainment of others. -Paige Moorhead

Life's like a novel With the end ripped out The edge of a canyon With only one way down Take what you're given before its gone Start holding on, keep holding on

The song "Stand" by Rascal Flatts provides lots of meaning for me and these certain lyrics stand out to me the most. I think of it as poetic because it compares life to different things. When I read these lines and really think about it, it means that you have control of your own life and have the power to change it to make your ending. It also means that you should not take life for granted because you never know when it will be gone. It really speaks to me because it shows me that I have to live my life to the fullest. -Amanda Boeing

[] For my found poetry, I chose the music video to Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri. I think this video is poetic for many reasons. It contains many important symbols. The choice of color sticks out to me. Everything is in shades of gray, highlighting her despair, until the man is gone, then the video turns to color. The entire concept of the video, the man literally taking the woman's hearts, is a metaphor for him breaking their hearts. I also think the dancing is powerful and gives the video a flow, and several phrases of the song stick out to me as poetry such as "you're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul" and "you lost the love I loved the most." - Holly Meyer

Happiness hit her like a train on a track Coming towards her stuck still no turning back She hid around corners and she hid under beds She killed it with kisses and from it she fled With every bubble she sank with her drink And washed it away down the kitchen sink

These lyrics are from a song called "Dog Days are Over" by Florence + the Machine. These lyrics really spoke to me because it says that happiness just "hit her like a train." When we least expect it happiness will come to us. My favorite line is when it says, "... she sank with her drink and washed it away down the kitchen sink." I like this line because it is saying how she no longer needed alcohol to make her happy, it just suddenly came to her. -Katie McCarthy

"Love me, hate me, either way you're still thinking about me."

This saying really unearths a deeper meaning. When a person gives someone positive or negative attention, they are still thinking about them. Hating a person can be viewed as still having meaning for that person. Then, we may set ourselves free by forgiveness. -Lisa D'Lima

"This is what happens: somebody -- girl usually -- got a free spirit, doesn't get on too good with her parents. These kids, they're like tied-down helium balloons. They strain against the string and strain against it, and then something happens and that string gets cut, and they just float away." - Excerpt from the novel //Paper Towns//, by John Green

I find this simile to be very poetic in that it holds a very simple truth, of kids wanting to rebel and what happens when they follow through. I love the imagery that is used; how balloons are used stresses how childish these kinds of actions can be. At first glance, this simile seems innocent and harmless, but one might consider that a lot more balloons than we think don't come back. - Regina Squeri

This picture is considered poetry because to me the definition of poetry is the composition of words to create feelings in the viewer, or to create something meaningful. This picture has a sense of chaos that is portrayed to the viewer. The words are composed together in a way that can be meaningful because they are everyday words but together they create something great. Each word in the picture is an important word to living everyday life. They are arranged in a specific way to create the feeling of chaos, yet they still all fit together. -Grace Laiveling

"Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe." - Terri Coudersport (Dove chocolate wrapping)

I find this saying to be very poetic. When I read and study poetry, my favorite poems tend to be ones that I can apply to my life, or ones that simply inspire me. This saying is something that both applies to my daily life and inspires me, so I find it poetic. Also, in this quote, simple rhyming can be found, making it even more poetic. - Kelsey Murphy

The music played with a common frequency. The speakers gently seeped the sound of ambient keyboards and light percussion, creating a seductive soundtrack to our midnight drive through curtains of blackness.

The windows were cold to the touch, reflecting the icy conditions in our immediate extremity. Salt stains and fingerprints littered the glass, and streets with melted snow cascaded down it's length.

The music pulsed louder, yet gentle, like the far away squeal of a pot of boiling water. The skylight was glowing faintly with a vague hints of an impending dawn.

The car raced along a painfully straight stretch of road, and she hadn't so much as turned the steering wheel two degrees in last the past twenty minutes, or hardly spoken.

This is a handful of lyrics from the song "The Approaching Curb" by Rise Against. I find this song to be very poetic, the amount of imagery in it is just phenomenal, and the simile in the first line of the third stanza is odd yet imaginative. Just from this small amount of lyrics you can practically feel the agonizing tension in the car, as if you're there living it--and that's what makes this so poetic: the fact that it draws you in to the point where you can hear the music play, feel the cold touch of the window, and see that dark road in front of you. -Maggie Sollmann

"Try to have no regrets even if it’s just tonight How you gonna walk ahead if you keep living blind?" -Waiting Outside the Lines, by Greyson Chance

These lyrics really speak to me. As humans, it's hard for most of us to let go of our mistakes. We can't move forward if we can't see where we want to end up. I really like these lines, because they're inspiring to me. They make me want to look deep inside of myself and figure out what I truly want. Even if what I want is out of my grasp, I can't look back on what I have done wrong in the past, and I can't blame myself for any of it. These lyrics make me want to find out **who** I really am.

__Sick__ By Shel Silverstein

'I cannot go to school today, ' Said little Peggy Ann McKay. 'I have the [|measles] and the mumps, A gash, a [|rash] and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I'm going blind in my right eye. My tonsils are as big as rocks, I've counted sixteen [|chicken pox] And there's one more-that's seventeen, And don't you think my face looks green? My leg is cut-my eyes are blue- It might be instamatic flu. I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke, I'm sure that my left leg is broke- My hip hurts when I move my chin, My belly button's caving in, My [|back] is wrenched, my ankle's sprained, My 'pendix pains each time it rains. My nose is cold, my toes are numb. I have a sliver in my thumb. My neck is stiff, my voice is weak, I hardly whisper when I speak. My tongue is filling up my mouth, I think my hair is falling out. My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight, My temperature is one-o-eight. My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear, There is a hole inside my ear. I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what? What's that? What's that you say? You say today is...Saturday? G'bye, I'm going out to play! '

This is one of my favorite poems because it reminds me of when I was little. I would try to fake sickness to get out of going to school. It reminds me of how children can be extreme hypochondriacs when they want to. - Katie Feeney

The only ground I ever owned was sticking to my shoes Now I look at my front porch and this panoramic view I can sit and watch the fields fill up With rays of glowing sun Or watch the moon lay on the fences Like that's where it was hung My blessings are in front of me It's not about the land I'll never beat the view From my front porch looking in

There's a carrot top who can barely walk With a sippy cup of milk A little blue eyed blonde with shoes on wrong 'Cause she likes to dress herself And the most beautiful girl holding both of them And the view I love the most Is my front porch looking in, yeah

I've traveled here and everywhere Following my job I've seen the paintings from the air Brushed by the hand of God The mountains and the canyons reach from sea to shining sea But I can't wait to get back home To the one he made for me It's anywhere I'll ever go and everywhere I've been Nothing takes my breath away Like my front porch looking in

These are lyrics from the song "My Front Porch Looking in" by Lonestar. There is so much imagery in this simple song. I really like the rythm of it too. It is about how some of the greatest things in life are always around us. We don't have to travel to great places or spend a lot of money to be happy. The things that mean the most aren't always perfect either, they are a mess but that's what makes one love it. - Kelsey Groll

One minute I held the key Next the walls were closed on me And I discovered that my castles stand Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field

These are verses from "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. These lyrics are very poetic, not only in the fact that they rhyme, but but by their meaning. It tells us that even if we think we have everything, it can all go away in an instant. We can't always do everything by ourselves and sometimes need to call on others to help us. -Andrea Toth

But I see your true colors shining through I see your true colors and that's why I love you so don't be afraid to let them show your true colors true colors are beautiful l <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial;">ike a rainbow

This is a verse from the song “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. I find this verse poetic because it is repetitive and has rhythm. For example “true colors” and “I see” are both repeated more than once. The whole verse flows and fits together wonderfully. I think the meaning behind these lyrics is that everyone should show the world who they really are, because who they really are is the most beautiful. If they don’t show who they really are and hide themselves and their gifts from the world, no one else will be able to see how beautiful their colors are. –Allie Roell

And now I'm all alone again, no where to go no one to turn to, without a hope without a friend without a face to say hello too. And now the night is near, And I can make believe he's here. Sometimes I walk alone at night When everybody else is sleeping I think of him and then I'm happy With the company I'm keeping The city goes to bed And I can live inside my head. On my own Pretending he's beside me All alone, I walk with him till morning Without him I feel his arms around me And when I lose my way I close my eyes And he has found me In the rain the pavement shines like silver All the lights are misty in the river In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight And all I see is him and me for ever and forever And I know it's only in my mind That I'm talking to myself and not to him And although I know that he is blind Still I say, there's a way for us These are lyrics from the song On My Own from the play Les Miserable. I find them poetic because there's a lot of imagery and similies such as "the pavement shines like silver". It also has really good rhythm and emotion. When I read the lyrics I could feel the anguish that the actress in the play should be portraying in her voice. The occasional rhyming also makes it poetic. If I closed my eyes I really felt like I was walking through the nighttime streets with the speaker and that's what poetry is supposed to do: make the reader picture it all in his or her mind. -Emily Reiring

//<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes // //<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">I struggle to find any truth in your lies // //<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know // //<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">This weakness I feel I must finally show //

//<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all // //<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall // //<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Lend me your eyes I can change what you see // //<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">But your soul you must keep, totally free //

<span style="font-family: tahoma,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">These are lyrics from the song, "Awake My Soul" by Mumford & Sons. All of their songs are extremely poetic, but this one sticks out to me. To me, these lyrics are saying that one must stay true to oneself and keep their soul protected. I interpret the first stanza as coming from someone who has lost track of their soul and has got it caught in someone else. The second stanza says how working as equals, "lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all", is better than being lovers, ("lend me your heart and i'll just let you fall"). The last two lines of the mean that seeing things from someone else's perspective is never bad, but the soul must kept free and unbiased. Abby Awad

From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life These are lyrics to the song Circle of Life from the Lion King. This can be considered poetry because of the meaning in the lyrics. To me this is poetry because it reminds me that no matter what happens in life, life will still go on and in the end everything is going to be o.k. I also think this can be considered Found poetry because this song is in a simple Disney kids movie and this song has a much deeper meaning, which the movie is centered on. This can be applied to most peoples lives because when it talks about the despair and hope everyone has different situations they think of and can apply to their life. -Ashley Tettenhorst

'Cause I stand for the power to change, I live for the perfect day. I love till it hurts like crazy, I hope for a hero to save me. I stand for the strange and lonely, I believe there's a better place. I don't know if the sky is heaven, But I pray anyway. []

These lyrics are from the song "I Stand" by Idina Menzel. I find them very inspirational because they make you realize all the things there are to live for in the world. They also make you stop and think about what you want to live for in your own life. This song is poetry because it reveals, through its lyrics and music, an important, universal message that we can all apply to our own lives. - Lindsey Mullen



I chose this simple piece of artwork that I had used for a project a few years ago. I find it poetic because even though it is a very simple drawing, you can interpret it in many different ways. I took the picture as sometimes a person feels like they have the world in their hands and everything is going good in their life. To me black is a very depressing color, so the black background symbolizes that sometimes there are also bad parts of your life too. - Jaime Smith

"In the midst of winter, I learned there was in me an invincible summer."

This is a quote by Albert Camus. This line is poetry to me because it gets me to think and inspires me to never let the bad days get me down. This quote can be easily applied to everyone's life, and it probably means something different to everyone. There is a deeper meaning to the quote, which reminds me that I will experience difficult trials in my life, but I can always find the courage to fight through them. -Allison Walke



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I chose a note my sister's co-worker's daughter wrote after losing her first tooth. This note is a work of poetry because it shows childish bliss. It almost has a sense of ignorance is bliss because the girl believes the tooth fairy is real. It also encourages me to use my imagination, and unleash the inner child inside of me. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Rachel Stock



I took this picture recently in DC at the March for Life. It is a slightly abstracted view of the Vietnam Memorial. This picture is poetry because it evokes many emotions in me such as sadness, angry, and grief. However, in the certain light that it was photographed, the sun gives a sense of either finality or new beginning depending on the viewers' thoughts on whether it is sunrise or sunset. The way the words fade into the sky and how the stone can reflect, provides a heavenly and almost supernatural aura.



I chose this abstract artwork as a piece of found poetry because this particular picture speaks to me as a poem would. The shades of color and shapes flow within this piece and to me, shows the girl’s inner most thoughts and emotions. I find this to be a very deep yet intense poem and because the picture illustrates her feelings instead of putting them into words, it makes the picture all the more impactful. –Kara Rattermann

Your love is a symphony All around me, running through me Your love is a melody Underneath me, running to me

This is the chorus from “Your Love is a Song” by Switchfoot. These lyrics are a metaphor that compare love to a song, hence the title. Love is transformed into a majestic sound that can easily be embraced. It evokes a warm, magical feeling that flows throughout one’s body and into one’s soul. The song portrays how love is uplifting, causing a sense of serenity and joy. The lyrics can speak to everyone, all with different meanings, voices, and faces of love. -Katie Koch

Strange maze, what is this place? I hear voices over my shoulder. Nothing's making sense at all. Wonder why do we race When everyday we're running in circles. Such a funny way to fall. Trying to open up my eyes I'm hoping For a chance to make it alright. When I wake up, The dream isn't done. I wanna see your face And know I made it home. If nothing is true, What more can I do? I am still painting flowers for you.

[]

This is a verse and chorus from a song called Painting Flowers about Alice in Wonderland, and the link to the song on youtube. This song is poetry because the words fit together perfectly and have rhythm. Even though most of it doesn't rhyme, the song flows and sticks to its theme of getting home to see those you've been missing most. - Molly Hartig

Stuck in the sand with the waves at my feet And I wish you'd come crash into me 'Cause where you are is where I wanna be now Where are you now?

This is the chorus from a song called Where are you Now? by The Summer Set. I see this as poetry because for me, it invokes a lot of emotion. Especially loneliness and the feeling of missing someone. It tells a story in just a few words, and provides vivid imagery. When I read this, I picture somebody standing at the edge of an ocean and the waves just rolling by poetically. Danielle Drinkuth

When we are teenagers all we want to be  is  the sky

I found this poem on a bathroom stall. I think it is really cool because it is something you actually have to think about to understand, but if you do think about it, it can have a lot of meaning. To me it means that we have all spent our lives being told of how much potential we have to be something great and that as teenagers we feel pressure from our superiors, our peers, and ourselves to be perfect. We want to be everything that we can be and sometimes even things that we cannot. This poem seems to twist the phrase "reach for the stars" the way it implies that while we don't want much, what we do want is a lot. I can relate to the feeling of wanting what you can't have and love how much this poem says with such few words. I even like the fact that it was written as graffiti in a bathroom because, as strange as it wounds, it adds to the poetry of the phrase. In a different setting it might sound preachy, yet the bluntness of bathroom graffiti makes readers understand the simple truthfulness of it. Sarah Hilvert

__﻿__ __Lyrics to My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade (in sentence form.... to save space)__ When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band. He said "Son, when you grow up, will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned?" He said "Will you defeat them, your demons and all the non-believers, the plans that they have made? Because one day I'll leave you, a phantom, to lead you in the summer, to join the black parade." When i was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band. He said "Son, when you grow up, will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? ... ... Sometimes I get the feeling, she's watching over me, and other times I feel like I should go. When through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the street. And when you're gone, we want you all to know... We'll carry on, we'll carry on. And though you're dead and gone, believe me, you're memory will carry on, will carry on. And in my heart, I can't contain it. The anthems won't explain it.... A world that sends you reeling, from disameeded dreams. Your misery and hate will kill us all. So paint it black and take it back, let's shout it loud and clear. Defiant to the end, we hear the call to carry on. We'll carry on. And though you're broken and defeated,you're weary widow marches... And on we carry through the fears (ooh.. oh...ohhh). Take a look at me, cause I don't care at all. Do or die, you'll never make me, because the world will never take my heart. Go and try, you'll never break me. We want it all, we want to play this part. I won't explain or say I'm sorry. I'm unashamed; I'm gonna show my scar, give a cheer for all the broken. Listen here, because it's who you are. I'm just a man, I'm not a hero. I'm just a boy, who has to sing this song. I'm just a man, I'm not a hero. I don't care. We'll carry one, we'll carry on. And though you're dead and gone, believe me, your memory will carry on; we'll carry one. And though you're broken and defeated, your weary widow marches on. We'll carry on, we'll carry on...

I chose this song because I love the lyrics and what they speak of. The lyrics are moving to me. The repetition of "carry on" shows the strength and courage it will take to move on even though our loved ones have passed away. We can't live in the past, but we can keep the past in our memory. I chose the picture because it stands for war and how the soldiers carried on even though their comrades had fallen.

-Christy Rowland

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"There's a hero, If look inside your heart <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> You don't have to be afraid Of what you are <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> There's an answer, If you reach into your soul <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> And the sorrow that you know Will melt away

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> And then a hero comes along <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> With the strength to carry on <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> And you cast your fears aside <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> And you know you can survive <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So When you feel like hope is gone <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Look inside you and be strong <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> And you'll finally see the truth <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> That a hero lies in you"

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> This is the first verse and chorus to "Hero" by Celine Dion. There is a lot of meaning to this song. In the first verse it says to not be afraid of being yourself. If you let other people push you around or are afraid of what people will think then you will not be happy. In the chorus it is saying to not be afraid and to let someone help you through life, especially the hard times. But ultimately, all the power to get through life is within yourself. This song is poetry, even though the words don't rhyme, because the words fit together perfectly especially with the accompaniment. It also affects everyone's life. - Christina Schultz ====