Book Spine Poems

Maria Popova, curator of the deservedly well-known Brain Pickings, began in April a series called Book Spine Poetry (see Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Last week, Glynn Young introduced to TweetSpeakPoetry readers the prompt, which is too irresistible to pass up. Many of us having been having fun with it. (Be sure to read the comments to Glynn's post.) Here are a few of my own book spine poems. Please feel free to share your own "found poems" in the comments section.

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The following were inspired as I browsed the virtual shelves of Barnes and Noble.

Bailout
Hemingway's boat: Everything he loved in life, and lost
invisible monsters remix.

Authors of titles in order of appearance: Neil Barofsky, Paul Hendrickson, Chuck Palaniuk

~

Between you and me,
tigers in red weather
don't say a word!

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Emma McLaughlin, Liza Klaussmann, Beverly Barton

~

The Dark Knight rises.
Let the Devil sleep
where we belong:
buried on Avenue B.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Greg Cox, John Verdon, Emily Griffin, Peter De Jonge

* * * *

The following are books on my shelves and thus the inspiration for the following book spine poems:

If

life is a verb,
blue notes
open the door.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Rudyard Kipling, Patti Digh, Joan Dideon, Joyce Rupp

~

Wearing heels in the Rust Belt,
you and three others are approaching a lake.
Into perfect spheres such holes are pierced
fully into ashes.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Karen J. Weyant, Anna Moscovakis, Catherine Barnett, Sofia M. Starnes

~

Ignore everybody!
Risk
an inconvenient truth.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance:  Hugh MacLeod, Deborah Lupton, Al Gore

~

Dear Ghosts,

Surviving has made me crazy.
The simple truth:
strong is your hold
day by day.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Tess Gallagher, Mark Nepo, Philip Levine, Galway Kinnell, Robert Lowell

~

Come, Thief.
Come and see
red bird
unpacking the boxes.
Trust
present company
to be of use.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Jane Hirshfield, Fanny Howe, Mary Oliver, Donald Hall, Liz Waldner, W.S. Merwin, Marge Piercy

~

What are big girls made of?
Stone, paper, knife
wild iris
curses and wishes
winter trees
eyes, stones
phantom noise.
Evidence
the will to change
toxic flora
post-diagnosis.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Marge Piercy, Marge Piercy, Louise Gluck, Carl Adamshick, Sylvia Plath, Elana Bell, Brian Turner, Mary Oliver, Adrienne Rich, Kimiko Hahn, Sandra Steingraber

~

And if I don't go crazy, I'll meet you here tonight;
otherwise,
transfer.
One sleeps the other doesn't
without
connecting the dots.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Filip Marinovich, Jane Kenyon, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jacqueline Waters, Donald Hall,  Maxine Kumin

~

What love comes to
left out in the rain:
the best day, the worst day
every riven thing
refusing heaven.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Ruth Stone, Gary Snyder, Donald Hall, Christian Wiman, Jack Gilbert

~

Barbies in communion,
God in the yard.
Contingency plans
rumors of water.
Delicate machinery suspended
the whipping club
inside out.

Authors of titles, in order of appearance: Marcus Goodyear, L.L. Barkat, David K. Wheeler, L.L. Barkat, Anne M. Doe Overstreet, Deborah Henry, L.L. Barkat (These all are authors of T.S. Poetry Press.)