7-Minute Poetry Challenge Kelly Bennett 7-Minute Poetry Challenge Kelly Bennett

Poetry Challenge #174-Stick It To Me

Have you ever taking a bite of fruit only to come away with stick-on-label in your mouth? Tasty, right? Ugh! Fruit, electronics, elbows, signs…you name it, seems a sticker’s stuck to it—today especially—for annoying or not, today, Jan 13th has been designated National Sticker Day.

fruit label.jpg

Along with being the officially recognized day to scrape off labels stuck on shoes, picture frames, do-dads, thing-a-ma-bobs and what-zits, National Sticker Day activities include:  

  1. Get some new stickers

  2. Give some stickers away

  3. Make your own stickers

To that, in celebration of the day, we’re adding this 7-Minute Challenge:

Poetry Challenge #174

Stick It to Me

For this challenge we’re paraphrasing Judy Carnes, the original “Sock it to Me” girl . Rather than racing around chanting Sock-it-to-Me-Sock-it-to-Me-Sock-it-to-Me until something bad happens as she did on the 60s Variety Show Laugh-in, race around collecting sticker slogans to create a Found Poem. (Chanting “Sticker-Me“ while collecting is optional)

Historically speaking, stickers have been pasted on produce as far back as 300 bc. Now everything—apples still included—has some sort of sticker plastered on it, so finding stickers should be easy. You might have a slew of stickers in your own space or bumper. If not… Field Trip Time! Check out passing cars, trucks, electronics, pinterest—or your neighbor’s fridge.

Sticker Day timeline.JPG
Snuck a Snap of the Kid’s Neighbor’s Fridge—Yours to use if you can read it.

Snuck a Snap of the Kid’s Neighbor’s Fridge—Yours to use if you can read it.

To Create Found “Sticker” Poem:

First copy a variety of stickers onto a page. The stickers might have one word or a phrase.

Choose one sticker to be the title of your poem.

Now, arrange and rearrange the remaining sticker slogans into a Found Poem. For purposes of this prompt, try not to add extra words or letters to the poem, break phrases apart, or use only part of a slogan—even to help clarify meaning.

As you play with the words and phrases, pay attention to sounds, patterns, rhythm or meaning.

Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes

Start Writing

Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just stick to it until the timer dings!

And for more fun: How to Make Stickers” at Skip to My Lou—a great DIY with Kids site!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1730 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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