The mystery of  

Golden Shovel Poetry is a style of verse created by Terrance Hayes. This form of found poetry allows the writer to take a favorite poem and use it to make something original. I experimented with found poetry last year when I wrote Blank Verse poems. Since I have a small booklet of William Blake poems on my shelf that I’ve planned to reread, I decided to start the month of July playing with the words written by this Romantic Era poet. Blake didn’t receive much recognition in his life. Some people thought he was insane. I will call this first poem The Mystery of.

The rules for writing a Golden Shovel Poem and The Mystery of

While researching this style of poetry created by Terrance Hayes, there seem to be four simple rules. You can use as many lines of the poem as you want, and the poem will end with you being your creation. I find this idea interesting. Written below are the three simple rules.

1). Choose a poem that you like. I will use poems by William Blake in my July poetic adventure.

2)Use each word in the line or lines as the end word in your poem. Make sure they stay in order.

3) Construct an entire poem around them. The meaning doesn’t have to be the same.

4) Give the original poet credit who wrote the line or lines you used.

In this poetic adventure, I will stick to using poems written by William Blake. This small poem I call The Mystery of    l  consists of the end of lines taken from Blake’s Auguries of Innocence.

The mystery of

I wanted the answer to
A riddle I couldn’t see
There is a mystery and a
Illusion to rule the World
To discover the mystery in
The stars above and a
Small speck of grain
The pageantry of
A beach covered in sand

I watch the water and
Get a small glimpse of
A different Heaven
Tumbling and twisting in
The depth of a 
World of Water Wild
But still delicate as a flower

If only I could hold
Forever and Infinity

And take its willful glory in
And the force in the
Trembling palm
The small illusion of
What was once your
Love, and hold it in my hand

Pleasure and bliss and
Happiness for eternity
Would be mine in
The challenge of an
Hopeful, vulnerable hour.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!

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Published by henhouselady

I am the author of Saving the Hen House. I didn't know when I started it would turn into a series. I love to ride motorcycles, the blues, my family, and going on adventures. This old hen rocks.

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