Poetry Forms Challenge 2026: “Found Poems”

Once again, I am issuing myself a new “poetic forms challenge” and I invite you to join me as a reader, a writer, or both! Three things I’d ask of you:

1) If you think you hate poetry, read along with an open mind. Comment here with what, specifically, you liked or disliked about the poems posted or poetry in general. Please keep it focused on the writing – no one cares if you love me or hate me, personally.

2) If you think you’re not a poet, try writing along, anyway! You may share your poems in the comments below, submit them for publication somewhere, share them on your own blog – it would be lovely if you’d link back to this one, if you do – or tuck them gently into the pages of your secret journal. (If you share here, you grant me non-exclusive, worldwide rights in perpetuity to display them in comments on my blog. I may, at my discretion, refuse or delete any comment, and I will do so if your words are derogatory towards anyone or if they are not PG-13 or somewhat milder than R. I’m not a prude, by any means, but this is not the place to post anything excessivly smutty, either. Start your own blog if you want to do that! 😶 😁

3) If you see a link in this blog, know that I put it there on purpose, to be helpful to you, and to include relevant information from other sources that I have personally visited and found trustworthy. While I do not guarantee that all these sites will abstain from running ads from third-party servers (which sometimes do try to land garbage on your PC – it is 2026 and you should be practicing safe surfing. Run a decent antimalware program, always!) I will guarantee that I have not personally encountered such things on anything I link to here!

Now, on to Fun and Found Poems!

Today, I am skipping to the letter “F” and “Found Poems.” Some of the common types of “found poetry” include free form excerpting and remixing, erasure, cento and cut-up.

The following poem was “inspired” by a bit of nonsense caught in my Spam folder. As mentioned in 3) above, if you blog or use the internet at all, you should run a decent anti-spam plug-in. You can’t stop spammers and scammers from trying, but you can stop the spam comments from getting through what I like to call, “The Bouncer.” My Bouncer likes to throw trash comments into the moat. But if you leave a nice, personal comment here and it doesn’t appear right away, fret not – odds are, it’s simply being held, temporarily, in Moderation. Help yourself to a nice spot of tea while the Bouncer checks your ID and wait for me to unlock the doors. After an approved comment or two, you’re golden.

Anyway, I digress. Spam comments are often run through something like the old “article spinners” and result in something that reads like the writer barfed up a thesaurus on top of a Mad Lib. They make for interesting poetry and short stories, sometimes. You might as well use them as a springboard, these “unsolicited submissions” of word salad. Today’s exemplar begged for a little strangeness. I believe they were selling some sort of ‘shroom-laced vape cartridge. If it’s effective, is it even legal?? If you’ve come looking to buy one, I’m not selling.

Add This to Your Mushroom Cart and Smoke It

a “Found Poem” – as in, I found this in my spam folder.

“I’m indubitably impressed before the sure effects. They’ve helped me perceive calmer, more balanced, and less restless everywhere the day. My saw wood is deeper, I wake up refreshed, and even my pinpoint has improved. The quality is famous, and I cherish the sensible ingredients.” – some random Asian spammer

Impressed. Indubitably.
The daily, restless moving
lacking purpose, lacking balance
now perceived as focused pinpoint
light - gymnopedia without the fetters -
unhinged reality balanced
on the head of an angel. 
My saw wood cedar-scented and alive:
deep-rooted, anastamosing
psychedelic, undulating,
yes. Thin rectangle, magic plastic
keycard to rabbit holes
where smoking caterpillars,
and strange-shaped mushrooms,
seem like sensible ingredients
to cherish.