But Of Course I Sealed the Tin...

Tom Goff writes: Couldn't resist the invite to send a found poem. This is a bizarre item. Now, I love Thomas Hardy's poetry, and admire the man, but the piece that follows, ripped out of context from what is essentially a knowing appraisal of Hardy biographies, needed only the line breaks to, well, er, write itself.

THE HEART OF THOMAS HARDY
(poem "found" by Tom Goff, Carmichael)

Dr Edward Mann, Hardy's doctor,
was still vigorous when I met him
in 1967. Thomas Hardy's old grandfather
clock, which the doctor had received
as a legacy, ticked away in his
sitting room. He showed me
a note slipped through his door in 1928
by waiting reporters: ‘Can you inform
the Press if Mr Hardy's heart
has been removed?’ It was signed
by the Chronicle, Express, and Press
Association. He said he wrapped the heart
in a towel and put it in a biscuit tin. Years later
he heard a Bishop of Sherborne,
telling an after dinner story, say
the cat got at it. But it
couldn't have done, said Dr Mann.
He sealed the biscuit tin.

________________________

Thanks, Tom, and thanks to the rest of you who played along with our found-poem-a-thon, which is now officially over.


This was posted late yesterday on Medusa; you may've missed it:

David Humphreys writes: Michael Fitzgerald, columnist at the Stockton Record, is taking entries in his tidbit contest, which is what he's calling a prose poem. Count 55 words in the body of the text; don't count your title. Deadline is Weds (1/17), 5:30 PM (that's today!). Send submissions to michaelf@recordnet.com; best way is to paste into body of message or attach a Word document. Be sure to give your day phone # so he can give the winner an interview and the brass ring; there's a $60 prize!


Also today and tonight:

•••Weds. (1/17), 10 PM-midnight: Mics and Moods at Capitol Garage, 1500 K St. Features and open mic.

•••81st Poet's Dinner/Contest postmark deadline for entries is today (Weds., 1/17). Event date is 3/17/07; you must be present to win. For complete rules and info, visit www.bayareapoetscoalition.org and click on the Poet's Dinner/Contest link.


_______________________

Finally, Peggy Hill, who started the whole found-poem-a-thon thing, sends one last found poem, this one from William Stafford:

WHAT'S IN MY JOURNAL
—William Stafford

Odd things, like a button drawer. Mean
things, fishhooks, barbs in your hand.
But marbles too. A genius for being agreeable.
Junkyard crucifixes, voluptuous
discards. Space for knickknacks, and for
Alaska. Evidence to hang me, or to beatify.
Clues that lead nowhere, that never connected
anyway. Deliberate obfuscation, the kind
that takes genius. Chasms in character.
Loud omissions. Mornings that yawn above
a new grave. Pages you know exist
but you can't find them. Someone's terribly
inevitable life story, maybe mine.

_______________________

—Medusa

Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry, photos and art, and announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.)