During the month of November I will post in a series some found poems. Found poems are poems that build a collage of meaning thoughts taken or borrowed from other poems, prose, magazine articles, newspaper headlines, love letters and other sources. It is the careful restructuring of different works into a new poem. I decided I would use poems and other good reads I find right here at WordPress including re-framing some of my own poems into a new-found poem.

According to the Academy of American Poets “A pure found poem consists exclusively of outside texts: the words of the poem remain as they were found, with few additions or omissions.”

I will acknowledge the blogs or poems from which I selected verses or lines for my found poems. I will also set up a challenge for my Found Poem day. If you have a found poem you would like to share with me at MelbaChristieatPoemattic.com, please copy it on in comments and I will publish it on November 30, 2016.

In the meantime, here is a preview of one of my found poems. Please send me your feedback. Also I want to thank my followers for their continued support and especially for getting a copy of my new coloring book The Secret Life of Mandalas available through Amazon.com

     My Poem Hunt

I went hunting for a poem to love myself again

(Many years ago I learned

a poem can be a true friend)

I searched my notebooks in the attic and this is what I found:

 A poem recited so many times by me

by Maya A.

filled of thoughts so profound

my heart simply hit the ground.

You may write me down in history

Just like moons and like suns,

with the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I rise.

The poem I found inspired me

to rise above it all

I will not let anything get me down

Nothing at all.

I now know and believe

That even the sound of my name

brings forth my heritage

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave

I rise!

I am their courage

I rise!

I am their sacrifice

I rise!

The poem I found in my attic today

made me proud

I rise!

My found poem includes excerpts From And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. Copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou