Today’s found poetry

Today on Facebook, Hana Filip passed on a two-sentence poem in prose (an English translation from the German original):

Jan Antonin Baťa, or Bata, the genius entrepreneur who founded the Bata shoe emporium, had in his main headquarters in Zlín (Moravia, Czech Republic), an elevator in the size of a fully equipped office. While sitting in this office, he could move up and down his headquarters building and visit its different departments.

Which I have set as free verse:

Bata’s elevator office

Jan Antonin Baťa, or Bata, the
genius entrepreneur who
founded the Bata shoe emporium,

had in his main headquarters in
Zlín (Moravia, Czech Republic), an
elevator in the size of a
fully equipped office.

While sitting in this office,
he could move up and down
his headquarters building
and visit
its different
departments.

(with an accompanying video tour)

 

2 Responses to “Today’s found poetry”

  1. Hana Filip Says:

    Actually I was only vaguely inspired by the information written in German. Then I went ahead and composed this “two-sentence poem in prose”, as you call it, it is my original English poetry 🙂 You made my day, dear Arnold.

    • arnold zwicky Says:

      I composed a nice reply to this posting of yours, but somehow it has vanished. What I said:

      By setting it in lines, I hoped to bring out some of the poetic features of its plain diction. And: it gave me great pleasure on a tough day, so thank you, dear Hana.

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