For today I chose to share two poems that I created from classic works of literature.  This type of poetry is part of “Found Poetry” and is known as “Erasure Poetry”.  You simply select some text from your favorite book, a newspaper, magazine, etc.  Then you take out (erase) words and create a poem of sorts from the text.  Always be sure to list the text you took your Erasure Poem from to avoid charges of plagiarism.

I found this type of poetry quite delightful when turning to the classics.  It was easy to create poetry this way and it was fun to do.

The Importance of Working Together by Kelly F. Barr

Mole and Rat went to work;
Rat cared for the horse,
lit a fire,
cleaned cups and platters
and got ready for breakfast.

Mole trudged to the village
for milk, eggs
and various necessities,
Toad had forgotten.

The hard work had been done
by the time Toad appeared.
He was fresh and cheery,
remarking what a pleasant easy
life it was now
compared with the cares and worries
of housekeeping at home.

*Taken from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Tea Party by Kelly F. Barr

Wonderful tea
with a nice brown egg,
lightly boiled,
sardines on toast,
buttered toast,
toast with honey,
and a sugar-topped cake.

When Lucy tired of eating,
the Faun began to talk:
Wonderful tales
of life in the forest.

He told of midnight dances;
of how the Nymphs and Dryads
came out to dance with the Fauns;
about hunting the milk-white stag
who could give you wishes
if you caught him;
and about treasure-seeking
with the wild Red Dwarfs
beneath the forest floor.

*Taken from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Okay, so even if you’re not a poet or aren’t interested in poetry, I’m sure you could create an Erasure Poem.  Why not give it a try?  Let me know if you do by posting your poem or a link to it in the comments section below.  Have fun!