Found Poetry
I created this found poem by piecing together phrases from a Buzzfeed News article titled, “Kids in El Paso Kept Hearing About Mass Shootings: Now They're Trying to Comfort Friends Who Went Through One.” The news piece interviews several children, aged 7-15, following the August 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting, which left 22 dead for nothing more than Hispanophobia. Hearing the voices of children who live in a community rocked by unimaginable trauma – some still shaken, others hopeful and resilient – can inspire others to rise above their own trauma. While a news article conveys meaning in a certain manner, I elected to present the same information in a found poem to add aesthetics and emphasis.