2020: A Found Poem
Nineteen sixty three is not a beginning.
The beginning of modern America begins with the discovery of the white man by the Indians.
America is a battleground.
The Black American is still crippled by discrimination.
Hills burn in California.
America is a battleground.
Women in a man-ruled world.
Damage caused by accident or abuse.
America is a battleground.
There are things that are important beyond pages, accounts, and hashtags.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.
America is a battleground.
No truer advice can be given to a young person than to rise up.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
America is a battleground.
There is nothing wrong with returning back to the roots, with a perfect contempt for it.
We cannot turn back.
America is a battleground.
Regardless of national origin, religious beliefs, or social background,
Now is the time to rise from the dark.
America is a battleground.
This is a “Found Poem” written using only words, phrases, and lines from an array of unrelated pieces of media. This was given as an assignment in the MCC class Inquiry Seminar: Copy and Collage.
Marianne Moore, “Poetry” (1915)
Matthew 5:3-11, “Sermon of the Mount”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, “I Have a Dream” speech (1968)
Barbara Kruger,“Your body is a battleground” (1989)
Florence Hartley, The Ladies Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness (1860)
History of NYU (nyu.edu)
iPhone SE - Safety, Warranty, and Regulatory Information
Wonder Woman No. 2 (1942)
The History of the Piano infographic
Facebook’s Data Policy, Section 1, “What kinds of information do we collect?”
Marshall McLuhan
Billie Eilish, “all the good girls go to hell” (2019)
