A Found Poem for Poetry Friday
July 02, 2021
A Day Like Any Other: A Found Poem
How do I get downtown?
The first two years of
the lease there was one point two million dollars
of rent
How do I get downtown?
You don’t want to be with me no more
Fine
How do I get downtown?
Get your ass over there
How do I get downtown?
I call my dad’s father Gramps
How do I get downtown?
That was freshman year
Draft ©Susan Thomsen, 2021
I made the poem above with lines of conversation I overheard in New York earlier this week. That's one of my favorite things to do: collect random sentences and rearrange them. (Another favorite thing is taking pics of street art.) When I heard several different people on the crosstown bus asking the central question here, I knew I had to do something with it, and then borrowed the title from the last line of James Schuyler's "Februrary."
You'll find the entire Poetry Friday roundup at author and poet Laura Shovan's blog.
Photos by me. The impressive pigeon art by Michael Paulino (@infamous_moke on Instagram) in the lower photo is part of Uptown Grand Central's Grandscale Mural Project, on and around East 125th Street in New York.
Susan, fun photos and conversation you captured. It was interesting to read your found poem first and then read where/how you found it. Fascinating. It makes me want to pay closer attention when I am out and about like this.
Posted by: Denise Krebs | July 02, 2021 at 01:48 PM
Thanks so much for reading, Denise. It's fun writing with a constraint sometimes: I told myself I could use only the words of the various people I heard and not add anything to make it flow better. Cell phones do make eavesdropping easier than it used to be!
Posted by: Susan | July 02, 2021 at 02:27 PM
Susan, I went to school in New York City. I used to write down snippets of subway conversation all the time. "Get your ass over there" made me laugh!
Posted by: Laura Shovan | July 02, 2021 at 05:48 PM
Yes, subway conversation is excellent! I thought of ending the poem with the "Get your ass over there" line because it's just so dang direct. Thanks for reading.
Posted by: Susan T. | July 02, 2021 at 05:57 PM
Wonderful! I love the idea of being a conversation thief.
Posted by: Linda Mitchell | July 03, 2021 at 06:37 AM
Hey! Good to see you again!
I love that your found poem came to you through your ears, and I'm TOTALLY crushing on the yin-yang pigeons locked together with love flowing all around!
Posted by: Mary Lee | July 03, 2021 at 09:43 AM
Hi, Susan--nice to meet you. What I like best here is how steeeeeped in NYC this is. I lived in Manhattan during 5 formative years, and now my just-grown daughter is headed to Brooklyn for some of hers, so the city's on my mind. The refrain holds all the various voices together--just a day like any other indeed. And thanks for the pigeons.
Posted by: Heidi Mordhorst | July 03, 2021 at 10:49 AM
Linda, yes, I like that description. Conversation thief, indeed.
Mary Lee, the pigeons are so great, right? I am really happy to be back at Poetry Friday after a loooong time.
Heidi, thanks so much for reading! I lived in New York many years, too, and now live fairly close by. I am SO glad to be able to go in & out of the city again. Your lucky daughter to be moving to Brooklyn! My grandfather lived 2 years in Brooklyn, and everyone always said those two years gave him enough stories for the next sixty-five.
Posted by: Susan | July 03, 2021 at 10:55 AM
I've never read a found poem based on overheard snippets of conversation - what an original take on this idea! I felt like I was walking down a street, or riding a bus.
I love how both of your photos are of pigeons, yet so different.
Posted by: Elisabeth | July 03, 2021 at 01:14 PM
Elisabeth, thanks so much for reading. Collecting conversational snippets is really fun. Even just one line could be a writing prompt.
Posted by: Susan | July 03, 2021 at 04:13 PM
I've so missed going to New York and it's time for a trip there. I have mostly taken the subway, but your eavesdropping would be the same. I love the artwork!
Posted by: janice scully | July 03, 2021 at 05:49 PM
Thanks, Janice. Yes, I agree: the subway is good for this kind of "research," too! I have really missed the city and am happy to be back occasionally.
Posted by: Susan | July 03, 2021 at 09:19 PM
A most interesting way of acquiring poetic ingredients for your found poem Susan. Having once lived in NYC for six years I continually collected snippets of conversation, but your actions have me made wish I had explored the ground you have ventured into. Eavesdropping is an essential element in a poet's kit. Well done you...
Posted by: Alan j Wright | July 03, 2021 at 10:38 PM
You really capture lots of aspects of a day! Finances, relationship, nostalgia.
Those yin-yang pigeons! Very cool.
Posted by: Tabatha | July 04, 2021 at 07:43 AM
Alan and Tabatha, thanks for reading! I didn't really tune in that day until I heard a guy talking on his cellphone about the huge amount of rent. I figure he was a realtor. Then I knew I wanted other material to go along with that, but had to listen for more lines. I walked a lot that day! As I told another friend, I was also surprised that people had gotten on the bus without knowing where it was going.
Posted by: Susan | July 04, 2021 at 09:29 PM
What a fun idea to take the conversation you tuned in—I like the syncopated rhythm of your lines and the yin-yang pigeon is wonderful. I'm from Chicago and missing art-trips I make into NYC, thanks Susan for these lovely snippets!
Posted by: Michelle Kogan | July 07, 2021 at 01:01 PM
Hi, Michelle. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words, too. Chicago would also be a great place to collect snippets! I love listening to the various ways people use language (well, English) and wish I could speak more languages to catch nuances in those, too. I'm working on Spanish.
Posted by: Susan T. | July 08, 2021 at 10:01 AM
Susan, thank you for this example of a conversation overheard found poem. I am happy to have a mentor text to use when penning a poem for the Poetry Sisters challenge.
Posted by: Carol Varsalona | January 29, 2022 at 07:37 AM