Found & Otherwise

Abstract

The fifteen poems in the first section of this collection are found poems inspired by various visual media, paintings, and sculptures. They were created from paint color names taken from swatch cards that were matched against each piece of inspiration. These poems are almost purely descriptive and in many instances the words within the poem give no hint as to their found source or the visual media, painting, or sculpture that inspired it. The critical introduction details the author's methodology for the construction of these found poems. It compares the author's understanding of the definition of Found Poetry against the established definition of the term presented in The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. The introduction also examines the lyrical nature of the paint swatch poetry and its lack of narrative. The poems range from a single stanza to two pages in length. Sections two and three respectively include a short work of prose and three additional poems that are more traditional in their presentation.