Every City Should Have a Site Like This

There's this website, Overheard in New York, where people contribute conversations they've...wait for it...overheard while in New York City.

I've googled a bit and can't find one for Toronto that is updated as frequently and vigorously, which doesn't mean there isn't a fabulous site out there.

And this entry is apropos of the concept of "found poetry," which is the only type of poetry I write, because I don't write poetry, I just write it down. Which is how I came up with a poem that I, with others, read on Tuesday evening at a...wait for it...poetry reading. Its title is "Overheard at a Christmas Party," because it was, and it has five speaking parts, and it was surreal to experience, mostly fun to write down, and pretty fun to read (nerves at speaking in public aside) because of the joy with which the others participated.

Found poetry--creating poetry from something that's already been written, or from other existing sources--is a type of poetry I understand. One element I really respond to is the human need to make meaning from life around us.

While all poets do that, most start by claiming that they've seen something unique and meaningful. Then they tell you about it, and ruminate on it. Often, that whole process is too big a stretch for me. I can't go there with that poet because it's too much poet. First, there's this really neat thing that the poet has told you about (the telling of which reflects the neatness of the poet) and the poet's response (also all about the poet): thus, the poet squared. And then when the poet analyzes his (or her) response (sigh), that cubes the poet. That's a lot of poet.

Meanwhile, a poet of found poetry looks at the text of a cereal box (for example) and ruminates on that. It's still all about the response of the poet, but that's all it's about (unless he, or she, ruminates on his response, sigh), and the side benefit is that you'll never think about cereal boxes in the same way.

My own poem actually is only dialog. The commentary/response/rumination is in the arrangement of it, and I did very little of that. In fact, I'm hardly there. Which is probably a good thing.

I have nothing against poets or poetry. Many of my best friends are poets. I just don't appreciate what they do at the level at which they do it, much as I don't appreciate a lot of jazz the way a jazz musician does, in spite of goodwill and my (admittedly spotty) musical training.

Here's the unvarnished truth: I don't really understand poetry because it uses five words when five thousand will do. What fun is that?