Different voices have defined “found” poems differently. Here, I started with the opening line of a poem I drafted over a dozen years ago, then used random web pages to suggest a few words from which would spring the next line. I let whatever revealed itself in my creative half exist without immediately squashing it, merely shaping it, translating it from my interior language-without-words to a poor imitation in English. My Editor insisted on punching meaning into it, which I allowed. At the end I decided it needed to come full circle, thus lending meaning (I hope) to the final lines. In a way, this process worked similarly to something I’m getting ready to post (non-poem) when time allows.
We wear patchwork clothes, stitched by sadness
not to have seen snow leopards through our
blizzarding genesis. Inspired by writings we
don't understand, we personalize them
to make everything obtain meaning
where none existed. Welcome to your mission:
to drive home meaning to others while
pathetically struggling to find your own,
exhibiting your confidence which betrays
your lack of understanding. "the mic is yours,
Ken," as if he thinks I'm important. Games,
games fill cracks left when motive, meaning
dried up. More valuable than playing? Being.
Staying within where we find nothingness
imbuing everything-ness. Boldly facing it
without doing, comfortable in this. Yet,
in here we wear patchwork clothes,
satisfied they're stitched by sadness.
56/100
all the voices in my head 
You know? I’m really liking this poem.
Me too! It’s maybe your best so far, and isn’t it ironic, that it’s about struggling?
What really opens my eyes is that I kind of “rode the waves” of something, using continual prompts. Remember that show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Like that.
I love that show and even saw them live once! I’ll have to try doing that.
Dude! This one is SOOOO good! I love the full circle, but more than that, I love how you are exploring poetry and the meaning of being a poet. The lines:
“welcome to your mission:
to drive home meaning to others while
pathetically struggling to find your own,
exhibiting your confidence which betrays
your lack of understanding.”
Followed by that mic line…soooo good! This is it entirely. I think the same could be said of parenting adult children. How do I guide them when I still have no freaking clue what I’m doing? I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned in life is the people who claim to know everything are the real dummies, because once you learn about one thing deeply you realize how little you know.
Oh, thank you! The poetic ego needs a boost like that. I love how we write one thing and it brings more meaning than what we thought we were writing. Then again, I was kind of ‘spitballing’ in the sense of tying meaning to my first line. So maybe I *did* mean that!