An experiment.
Take a book you love and, closing your eyes, flip the pages and place your finger somewhere on the page.....take a word or a phrase from that line. Repeat until you have a poem:)
Here's mine. Taken from Revelation by Carol Berg:
Judgement
Judgement. No, you’re wise,
Said Merryt.
Jumble, every once a while.
As we drank chamomile.
When we were called,
Back inside.
For sanctuary, as he claims,
Nothing was that easy.
Any message, asking for
Forgiveness.
Nothing of Fiona, spat,
Is it not wonderful?
Who carried this kind of,
Demon?
He handed me another
As I dragged myself towards.
I’d come to think you felt no,
Distractions,
Still too far. Who could value,
The shape of the penetrating wind?
Hahaha. Good question. For fun. To see if what comes out scans in anyway.
From The Bridge by Iain Banks
A(bridge)D
"Just you shut the fuk up"
But the rok comes rollin
She is sitting sideways on a seat
The Field Marshall's quarters; an old study
Climb the highest dune
See this fox hole?
Study drawing and painting
For longer than I care to think about
Holding a black hat in one hand
He bought a Toyota MR2
Scattering people to either side
Not a boat, the rocking's damped
"Aw wait a fukin minnit!"
I am lying on the ground
an it sits on ma showdder
Exploded through the great pipes
"I would like to see Dr Joyce"
Some complicated mechanism
He did tell Andrea
Sticking my head through the broken pane
Perhaps not an ideal choice of book, as there are sections written in dialect as well as fantasy/ dream sequences. But it was that or random phrases from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Guidance on Child Protection, which I am ostensibly working on tonight!
I didn't add any grammar - it stands or falls exactly as written in the book.
Awesome! I thought that worked better than the one I did actually. And I think it's a great choice of book. Mind you, The Bridge is one of my all time favourite books:P
What's also interesting is: I did that whilst I was ostensibly working on an essay about medieval heresy......and the only other person to have a bash so far is someone who is ostensibly working on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Guidance on Child Protection....hmmm. Maybe I should have entitled this thread 'An experiment to try whilst you are ostensibly working on something else'....:P
AKA - Something for people with books to hand and fried brain cells
*grins* yes.....that'll do nicely
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]He would rather sing another time
So don't make yourself uneasy
And so you're glad to leave me
Pilot would have been
Half wild with delight when she saw me
pushed unceremoniously to one side
It was half dream, half reality
Is the nurse here?[/COLOR]
From Jane Eyre.
This worked out great...sorry it's so short, but I thought it was perfect with the last line!
Fabulous! that really works.
DanaC...wish more people would try this. I think it's great. I just re-read mine and I think I will print it...just works so great.
It really is amazing the stuff that occurs to you when you are 800 words into a 2500 word essay:P
From The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure, by Adam West
Pleasure Heads West
Monkey's just one of the gods
You may be surprised
Ladies are supposed to be virgins
But I am not disheartened
Septimus Millward stood erect
The man he had trusted since he arrived
She was only aware of her own body
"I'm a Judas," he whispered
A criminal? A gun-runner?
"Does it shock you?" he asked
So pale and rapt in concentration
Flags and a beard and a painted face.
(see drawing at left)
the stone would be seen much more closely
because mortar is in the head joints
as with other types of plank siding
because a primary mark indicates a door or window
we mark the cut with the siding held in place
Once I've determined my layout
if your siding continues beyond your roof's eave
yeah yeah
Not doin' it... it will stick and ruin my book for me.
Sounds like a cool idea for people that can shake it.
Can't read some of my favorite poems now because of the whole "Yellow Rose of Tex" thing.
(see drawing at left)
the stone would be seen much more closely
because mortar is in the head joints
as with other types of plank siding
because a primary mark indicates a door or window
we mark the cut with the siding held in place
Once I've determined my layout
if your siding continues beyond your roof's eave
yeah yeah
Wow! :p
From Indians and Intruders in Central California 1769-1849 by George Harwood Phillips
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
cristening her Maria Rufina.
until we reached the mouth
since these indian depredations.
ground stone dead
where the Sierra Nevadas
made a public example of.
Cholame Pass
with such intensity
they had brought
the mission system
The Spaniard explained
did not escape the priest
=====
Whoa, I thought, with this dry tome, it ain't gonna work, but it's actually kinda interesting.
And yes, this really is one of my favorite books. It's a getting in touch with my roots kinda thing.
~ done while escaping my homeschooling duties :blush:
Grant broke open the bale
wedged in a pipe was more like it
Hammond's plan was extremely speculative
she was fine
Grant was watching the sensors
removed the largest fragments from the sheets
Malcolm coughed
he had been spotted
Just don't tell Grant
Ellie said
crouching among the palm trees
like a mouse, would you say
Not a threat display
adjustment in the next version
Gennaro snapped his fingers
The boy was not quite so fortunate
- Jurassic Park, Micheal Crichton
No real attachment to the book more than any other, just grabbed something off my shelf. It makes less sense than any other I have read so far.
My name is John Taylor
no-one bothers you
but otherwise there's not much to choose
She had a striking face
I couldn't argue with that
I made myself say lightly
"It's going to be alright."
We collapsed together on a rain-slick street
"I killed him becuase he was my friend."
"I preserve the balance."
And none of us were a bit surprised.
from Simon R. Green's "Something From the Nightside"
Didn't seem to work too well, but then, I've never been any good at poetry.
No, that worked great!
I'll claim you lucked out (because I'm jealous) but it reads really well.
Creatures
'My Dear Smith,
What can I do?'
'Forgive me for troubling you'
My time is limited
you know.
Solon considered
and ran.
Peri was dozing.
An ape-like face,
Emperor of France,
didn't see me,
again.
Shook his head,
'Never did see,
such a thing'.
all different,
without comment,
creatures, surviving.
From Doctor Who: Warmonger, by Terrence Dicks.
Blood & Mysteries
Men bobbing slowly,
A hand on the policeman's arm;
But now it was foul.
It began to monitor the space.
A personal handle:
"Where's Sabu?"
"From the Nova?"
Stomach-deep depression -
A dozen of his comrades.
Light began to rip and twist;
Something in the top drawer,
Perhaps the world was dreaming...
Now Dr Shearsmith,
"I don't think a day passes when I don't"
Her eyelids twitching
Blood oozed from the wound.
The wire seemed to have been wrenched apart
But with a pattern
Inside the room, Holly and Vijay lay curled
Sleeping when I left her.
Doctor Who: Nightshade - Mark Gatiss
Blood & Mysteries
A dozen of his comrades.
Light began to rip and twist;
Something in the top drawer,
Perhaps the world was dreaming...
Doctor Who: Nightshade - Mark Gatiss
I love this stanza...very cool.
Yeah.....your Doctor worked waay better than mine Sundae!
That put me in the mood for a new Doctor book.....I may have to visit the library.....
@Sundae, have you tried any of the new Dr books? The ones with David Tennant's doctor and Rose? I am soooo annoyed. They've written them with children in mind. The older Doctor books have an adult audience in mind generally, but the new ones are definately aimed at kids. Still readable, they've not totally kidded them up, but still......really annoying.
For those too lazy for the original procedure:
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