Week 4: Cut-Up

Hello All,

This was the second experiment that I did for week 4. This seemed like a much deeper kind of constrained chance, if that makes any sense. First, it required more creativity from me, as in the acrostic I had to pick out a sentence from the page with the first letter corresponding with no real reason to make it fit together. Here I had to be more selective. This is where I really started to notice how found poetry works together. There is frequently an undertone to a collection of texts, almost like something--a message, a theme...--is running throughout it. Exploring this has brought me closer to spirituality, actually, because it makes me see clearly what I've always thought is true--we're all connected to something, something that is hidden unless you actively seek to find it. That's Sarah Davis' version of the spirtuality she believes in. I haven't looked it up to see if it goes along with any religion(s).

Anyway!

Here is this constraint:

§ General cut-ups:  Write a poem composed entirely of phrases lifted from other sources.  Use one source for a poem and then many; try different types of sources: literary, historical, magazines, advertisements, manuals, dictionaries, instructions, travelogues, etc.  See cut-up engines listed just above

I took phrases from the pages of the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's student newspaper. This doesn't exactly speak to me, but it was an experience, and a fairly easy exercise to repeat. I expect that I will return and make more of these.

-Untitled-

Next came the heartbreaker.
“Feeling randy? Are you married? Is this your wife?”
The Chinese government has said yes.
The announcement signaled the end of anti-government protests that lasted 18 days.
What a difference a week can make.
This, however, was neither an ordinary marriage nor an ordinary wedding.
School of Medicine professor Kyong-Mi Chang opened the event by explaining Hepatitis B and urging students to get the vaccine.
The event featured performing arts groups and various workshops on aspects of Chinese culture.
Both participants and guests found the benefit event to be not only educational, but rewarding as well.
Though audience members had various reasons for attending the event, most agreed it was a success.
Allen added that President Barack Obama’s administration handled the situation perfectly—contrary to recent criticism by Republicans such as former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty