Blackout poem in the style of Austin Kleon #NationalPoetryMonth

 I'm not sure when the author/artist Austin Kleon created his first poem by redacting words from random text. But I do know he published his first book of these poems in 2010, called "Newspaper Blackout" which I learned about after having purchased and read his creative manifestos "Steal Like an Artist!" and "Show Your Work!"

Yesterday, I stumbled upon an invitation to create my own blackout poems. The Hollywood branch of Multnomah County Library offered patrons pages of old books and the use of a permanent marker to redact words of our choice and highlight the messages we find within.

Here, I was thinking about the myth of infallibility and the notion that even the best of intentions can serve to drive a wedge between people.

even God
doubts
he could do no wrong.
He exposed himself
on     the great cross
and
was troubled to find the distance
between
Jews
had become
his career.




Got a crappy book you'd like to tear apart? How about your favorite book that's already in shreds which you can immortalize in verse? If you put your scissors and markers to good use, share the results with me here!