Found Poem at the DMV

Best when read aloud. Insert your own vowels to suit. That first line happens to be the sound my mother makes when stifling a burp.

I Found a Poem at the DMV

E P T F L
F L E P T
T F L E P
P T F L E
L E P T F

P T F L E
E P T F L
L E P T F
F L E P T
T F L E P

F L E P T
L E P T F
P T F L E
T F L E P
P T F L E

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The letters “D” and “O” are conspicuously absent from this text, though they are two of my favorites to confuse on an eye test.

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Billy Collins (quoted here): “I have a theory that poetry should be like an eye chart in your ophthalmologist’s office. The first big ‘E’ should be easy to read, drawing the reader in. Only then should it become increasingly ‘mysterious.’” (NB: Poem above does not do this, unless you count the repetition in the last stanza.)

Naomi Shihab Nye: Eye Test. (NB: Mine’s more about making sounds than making a story. You get to bring your own meaning to the sounds. I mean, I could translate these sounds, but I’m giving you a chance to bring your own meaning. Perhaps I’ll do the same in a future post.)

* * *

One last NB: Just in case it isn’t clear that I left one, and only one, comment over at Pasadena’s Political Underbelly, let me say it here: I left one comment (clearly identified) on this blog post.