Sherry Chandler

If you have more time - or possibly more imagination - than I do, you might have fun with Finnish poet Leevi Lehto’s Google poem creator. In addition to the poem creator, the site has postings of a number of poems, including one entire chapbook called Search Engine by Debby Florence (illustration on the right - this “oragami fold” chapbook is into its second printing and well worth the $5 price tag just for the graphics!). There is also an anthology of Google poems and a page that will let you do forms.

Here is a sonnet I “wrote” in the five minutes I spent at the site yesterday:

march roars in
Compiled 3/4/2005 3:10:06 PM GMT

News. ALBANY - Local weather report
22 2004 13:55:27 EST by xbox, - Read
on top of melting snow near Brown Road
public scrutiny. Report

North roars back. Permalink; Part
Hibernia; March 22, 1997; Kelly, Kevin. Read
the expanding EU’s highest, had
solemn Funeral March in 2001. The latter part

coming in like - Contact & Feedback
roars in like a lion Wet and fluffy snow
22 2004 13:55:27 EST by xbox, - Read

the winter weather gods went back
A daffodil lays on top of melting snow

I’m pretty sure I could have done better if I’d set better parameters or had a better search phrase but I kept this one because I was charmed by that last couplet (even though it is either ungrammatical or daffodils have become oviparous). And there’s an interesting rhyme scheme.

I got the link from Silliman’s Blog. He has a nice discussion about Leevi Lehto and Finnish poetry.

Update: Leevi Lehto was kind enough to add my poem to the anthology. He likes that last couplet too.

I picked this up from the Kentucky Foundation for Women Hot Flash e-mail:

Mourner Wanted
Posted by: Bruce Burris, ecolifeforce@yahoo.com
Deadline: March 15, 2005

———-Help Wanted———-

Mourner wanted to grieve for the loss of natural habitat in the Beaumont Center (Lexington, Kentucky) area. Mourner is required to mourn for loss of natural habitat, meditate on the reasons for it’s destruction, apologize for our culture’s behavior and offer prayers of healing. Mourner is asked to do these things while walking around Beaumont Circle for a period of one hour. Mourning will be documented but not publicized as a real time event. Honorarium: $100.00.

To Apply: No more than 100 words on why you want to mourn for the loss of habitat in the Beaumont Center, Lexington, Kentucky area.

Applications accepted by email only.

Location: Lexington, KY, US

The ad appears at greenmuseum.org.