Pretentious, Moi?

I'm actually feeling very emotional. This is not a 'poem' that I wrote - it's one I discovered today, a bit like 'Objets Trouves' (Sp? My French is schoolboy).

What you see below is an advertisement for a charity that gives money to support people who have had strokes, and consequently gut-wrenchingly severe speech and language difficulties - it just fell on my doormat this morning.

When I first saw it, I thought it was a flash-card for children with similar disorders  - an understandable mistake, I hope, as my girlfriend is a Speech-and-Language Therapist, specialising in 'special needs' and stammering.

When she told me it was for adults, I was stunned.

It wasn't meant to be a poem, just an evocative means of raising money, but I kept reading it and thinking 'This is a poem!'

I feel, in a way, guilty for expoiting this here . . . but I will donate to the charity and hope you people out there don't find what I've done offensive? Be honest, please! I just don't know . . .

If you find something like this - a 'poeme trouve', in a shop window, on a bus or whatever, do post it! Thanks - John.

Ps This is a horrible piece of wake-up-to-reality doom-and-gloom! I promise to post a jollier one soon! X