Douglas
Luman (aka the Venerable Bede) asks us to think of a memorable phone number
or a phone number that was important to us. Using his phonewords application over
on Applied Poetics, a deliriously joyous site for poetry making using Oulipian
techniques and more, to take a source text and reduce it to only words that use
the letters from the phone number to create a poem. This was great fun, of
course.
Source
Text: OF SIR LANCELOT AND THE FAIR MAID OF ASTOLAT from KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS: THE
TALES RE-TOLD FOR BOYS & GIRLS by
HENRYGILBERT. 1911, furnished by the lovely Project Gutenberg.
Phone
number: 867-5309 from the song.
an
ode to guinness
to
put off joust for stout
to
set for stout of old
keep
none not for rest
send
me up to red
keep
room
press
of folk
found
streets
press
of souls
trumpet
to
sound end of love
love
love tell me love
send
forest to a rose
other
phone number or phone songs also came to mind: Echo Valley 26809 by the Partridge
Family, The Knack’s Your Number or Your Name. All my references are from the
late 70s/early 80s. I’m sure there were numerous other songs with phone numbers
in the title in more modern times, but this is what I remember.
finally,
a word or several words, of thanks to the Found Poetry Review, its editors, the
poets who created the prompts and the participants and those of you who were reading along, who retweeted or commented or shared my poems. this was a joyous
experience, sometimes daunting, sometimes so intriguing that I spent most of
the day working on a prompt. it’s been an engrossing and consuming activity. a
great way to celebrate National Poetry Month. Thanks to all those who commented
on my zany poems and shared your own. It’s been fun reading your work and
engaging with you.
poetry can lead to community. doesn't have to, but when it does, i find it rewarding.
poetry can lead to community. doesn't have to, but when it does, i find it rewarding.