Here's a little fun with the thesaurus:
Sir, I abide by your comprehensive authority,
That each bard is a buffoon,
However you yourself may assist to display it,
That each buffoon is not a bard.
Can you identify the original poem, i.e., before I butchered it?
And while I'm being juvenile, here's a site which tries to help you write MadLibs poems. It could have been more fun, but there are loads of problems with the grammar, plus they only use two poems as templates. Here's my creation (and I use that term lightly):
blue decision's blue decision
quickly i have never creep, sluggishly beyond
any ocean, your faucet have their aqua:
in your most turquoise chef are things which pop me,
or which i cannot saute because they are too icily
your watery look intensely will unflambe me
though i have boil myself as bathtub,
you broil always candle by candle myself as crayon taste
(freezeing immortally, ideally) her liquid box
or if your fox be to defrost me, i and
my socks will pounce very imaginatively, inwardly,
as when the honey of this ocean braise
the bunny decisively everywhere timeing;
nothing which we are to sort in this gum wonder
the snail of your runny tiger: whose pimple
chop me with the icicle of its racetrack,
melting pot and stove with each swiming
(i do not fry what it is about you that fly
and catch; only something in me hunt
the burner of your faucet is slothlike than all crayon)
dial, not even the oven, has such cheetah-like fan
- John Mutford & e.e. cummings
Hopefully today's participants will offer up something more substantial!
Update: Looks like a potluck! Where else could you find Dickinson alongside Oscar the Grouch, or Walt Whitman next to the Veggie Tales Gang? Lots of great posts. I suggest you first read the comments below to get more of a description for each post. Look around, have fun, leave comments...
Cloudscome- a sonnet by John Donne
Karen Edminsten- Richard Wilbur’s “The Writer”
Suzanne- Elizabeth Coatsworth’s “January”
Wizards Wireless – Susan R. Makin’s Kilimanjaro Poems
Mary Lee- a found poem
Literacy Teacher- Bruce Lansky’s “Blow Your Nose”
Stacey- Stacey’s “Debacles”
Writer2b- Denise Levertov “St. Peter and the Angel”
Laura Salas- Various- 15 Words or Less Poems and William Carlos Williams’ “Winter Trees”
Sara Lewis Holmes- Sarah Lewis Holmes’ “Flower in Tibet”
Liz In Ink - Sylvia Plath's “Metaphors”
Jama Rattigan- A few thoughts on beat poetry, and of course, soup
Shelf Elf- Joyce Sidman’s anthology of dog poems “The World According to Dog”
Miss Rumphius- Louis May Alcott’s “A Song From the Suds”
Mitali Perkins- Marge Piercey’s “For The Young Who Want To”
Chicken Spaghetti- Howard Nemerov’s “Storm Windows”
Kelly- Czeslaw Milosz’s “Ars Poetica”
Little Willow- Hannah Teter’s “Wise Eyes”
Jenny- Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing”
TadMack- Charles Bukowski’s “Fame”
Jennie- Marge Piercy’s “Why Marry At All”
Crispus Attucks- Forrest Hamer’s “A Poem About Whiteness”
Becky- The Veggie Tales Gang “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything”
Kelly Fineman- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
HipWriterMama- Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Youth and Age”
The Simple and The Ordinary- Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Katherine”
Ruth- Dr. Bacchus’s “Chai” (Poems about Kenya)
The Well Read Child- Oscar The Grouch “Knock Three Times”
Wild Rose Reader- Elaine Magliaro’s winter poems
3M- Michelle M’s “Cat’s Eye”
Blue Rose Girls- Eve Mirriam’s “How To Eat A Poem” and Mark Strand’s “Eating Poetry”
Shannon- gathas, an original gatha by Nona
Amoxcalli- Herberto Helder’s “Someone opens an orange in silence”
Anamaria- Gwendolyn Brooks’ Bronzeville Boys and Girls
Becky at Farm School- Emily Dickinson’s “No. 668, c1863”
Sheila- Tu Fu’s “Snow Storm”
7-Imp- Galway Kinnell’s “The Correspondence-School Instructor Says Good-Bye to His Poetry Students”
S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen- Mary Oliver's "The Hermit Crab"
Tiel Aisha Ansari's "Why I Don't Make New Year's Resolutions"
Andrea's "Roar of a Snore" Podcast
Web- Jay M. Harris's The Moon Is La Luna
Erin- Billy Collins's "Days"
*The thesaurusized poem above was originally by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and went like this:
Epigram
Sir, I admit your general rule,
That every poet is a fool,
But you yourself may serve to show it,
That every fool is not a poet.
42 comments:
Hi John-
Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday! I posted excerpts from Susan Makin's poems about Mount Kilimanjaro today, in honor of my brother who's about climb the mountain.
-Susan
Thanks for hosting. Mine is Richard Wilbur this week.
Thanks for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup this week!
At Wild Rose Reader, I have four original children's poems about winter.
http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2008/01/poetry-friday-potpourri-winter-poems.html
At Blue Rose Girls, I have two poems about eating poetry--one by Eve Merriam and one by Mark Strand.
http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2008/01/poetry-friday-taste-of-poetry.html
I'm in with a found poem this week.
Have fun hosting!
Thanks for hosting this week John! I wrote another wedding one... though I'll likely go back to posting other folks' poetry next week since I think mine is getting a little tired. ;)
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/poetry-friday-another-wedding-one/
Hi,
I'm stumped as to what the pre-thesaurus poem is, but it reminds me of Emily Dickinson...? The mad lib poem leaves me speechless (as most mad libs do :-)
I posted a Denise Levertov poem today, called "St. Peter and the Angel."
Thank you for hosting today.
I've posted some poems about Kenya.
(P.S. I'm not sure why there's a little smiley face next to my Mr Linky entry. Guess I'll just smile back and be on my way...)
Thanks for being poetry host this week (and for the reminder)!
At JustOneMoreBook.com today we chat about the rhyming night time jaunt "Roar of a Snore".
I took up the challenge of Tricia's Poetry Stretch: Flower in Tibet
I had no idea that socks could pounce...I'll be more careful now. :)
Thank you for hosting, John!
I have 15 Words or Less Poems (come add your own--well, you already did, John, but everybody else--come add your own!) at http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/33861.html.
And I have a William Carlos Williams poem, "Winter Trees," at http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/34110.html.
Thanks so much for hosting! I talked about metaphors, a school visit and Sylvia Plath!
http://liz-scanlon.livejournal.com/52032.html
Hi John,
Thanks for hosting this week.
Over at Shelf Elf, I'm taking a look at Joyce Sidman's The World According to Dog.
Plus a picture of my pooch.
http://shelfelf.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/the-world-according-to-dog/
Have a good one!
Today I'm talking about the Beat poets and fish chowder! (Something to follow your witty appetizers.)
Thanks for hosting, John.
Morning, John!
I'm in today with some Louisa May Alcott.
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2008/01/poetry-friday-song-from-suds.html
Thanks so much for hosting!
The Fire Escape's offering is about the agony of the writing process -- wise words from Marge Piercy's "For The Young Who Want To." Thanks for the hospitality.
Hi, John. Thanks so much for rounding up the poets today. I'm in with Howard Nemerov's "Storm Windows." I left a link with Mr. Linky.
Susan
Chicken Spaghetti
Thanks for hosting, John.
Also, I'm looking for hosts for Feb and March if you could let readers know :)
Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday this week!
Wise Eyes by Hannah Teter - complete with video of Hannah performing the piece!
Hi John-
That seems very substantial to me. I went with a standard Walt Whitman--not very inventive, but, my girls and I are studying New Jersey next week so Walt fits the bill.
Jenny
Thanks for hosting, John, I'm in with a little Robert Louis Stevenson - as a tribute to my daughter who turns 11 tomorrow.
I'm in with Charles Bukowski, amazingly. Thanks for hosting.
My brain was too tired last night to decode your thesaurus-twist. But, this morning, I decided to try googling "every poet a fool" in place of "bard a bufoon" and I found it. :-)
Very clever. Have a great Poetry Friday.
Thanks for hosting! I'm in with a Marge Piercy poem and a most hilarious story with a very happy ending..
I love the thesaurus poem and its sentiment. Can't tag it, though.
I'm in with The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Thank you so much for hosting! I'm in with Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Mr. Linky linked to an old poetry Friday - I think I fixed it though.
I'm grouchy today and sharing more grouchiness with song as poetry.
http://wellreadchild.blogspot.com/2008/01/poetry-friday-dont-be-grouch.html
I have a silly little original one up here.
Just wrote this in the spirit of the New Year (kinda)
Why I Don't Make New Year's Resolutions
I have a review of The Moon is La Luna, which was nominated for the Cybils but arrived too late for consideration. :-(
http://bunnyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/01/poetry-friday-moon-is-la-luna.html
Hey John, thanks for hosting today's poems!
I posted an excerpt from Mary Oliver's The Hermit Crab after we found a tiny curly crab at the beach yesterday.
-Jennifer
Thank you for hosting! I explore the art of writing gathas this week...Enjoy!
AmoxCalli is in with Herberto Helder. Thank you so much for hosting!
Thanks for posting the roundup! Here's my post:
http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/music-on-poetry-friday/
Checking in from Alberta, late but with any luck not last.
I have Emily Dickinson on Nature for today. Thanks for hosting!
Becky, your luck is holding. (wonder if I'll be last now)
Hi John,
I'm in with easily the most depressing poem, one about old age. It's very, err, atmospheric.
Thanks for hosting.
cheers / sheila
http://misserinmarie.blogspot.com/2008/01/days.html
That EE Cummings parody is actually kind of awesome. Thanks for hosting!
7-Imp is in with a bit of Galway Kinnell.
Hey.
A couple of corrections. Our rhyming book for PF is "Roar (not rant) of a Snore" and our URL is:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2008/01/11/a-rhyming-bedtime-romp-roar-of-a-snore/
thanks again!
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Sorry about that! I've fixed it above.
Thanks.
I tried to leave a comment the other day but must have done something wrong. I've got a John Donne sonnet up this weekend.
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