From the Archive

Sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Lincoln seeking refuge from the chill outside, I reread “Found Poem: Letter to Oliver Fox, August 11, 1949” from the 1991 issue of Laurus Literary Magazine to prepare for my interview with poet, Jackie Fox. My initial thought was how aptly the poem is named, because it is an actual letter. It’s a short and straightforward piece but has this innate flow that sparks curiosity about its origins and creative process. The letter offers encouragement to a man planning to show his new pig at the Nebraska State Fair. A few days after pondering this analytical experience, I was able to speak with Fox on the phone, and she explained the poem’s origin.

“Found Poem: Letter to Oliver Fox, August 11, 1949” is indeed a found poem she happened upon when going through her husband’s grandfather’s things. The poem was taken from a section of a much longer missive from Loren K. Smith, at around the 5th or 6th paragraph. Smith sent this letter to O.E. (Oliver, the grandfather) Fox, discussing a previous showing of his newly acquired pig. Oliver purchased the pig from the National Duroc Congress sale in Lincoln on July 30, 1949. This letter was most likely a reply to Oliver’s own previous letter regarding the hog itself. The line, “I feel sure the pig will stand up well at your Nebraska State Fair under a different judge. Several breeders liked him” tells Oliver that his pig deserves to be shown and will likely be received better in Nebraska than it was in Indiana.

When Jackie Fox found and read the letter, she thought that this section had a bouncy, rhythmic effect which made her feel creative. She knew something just had to be done with it. When asked what that feeling was, she explained, “It was a tuning fork moment.” The poem had a “natural music I wanted to share for others to read and enjoy.”

Since editing and submitting this poem to Laurus, Jackie has continued to find poetry in the world around her. Once she was sent a spam email that was auto-translated from Chinese to English. With her poetry-seeing eyes (to borrow from Stanley Fish’s essay “How to Recognize a Poem When You See One”) Fox was able to fine tune the language and sent her poem off to be published. I asked her where some of her other works could be found, and she noted that she has been published in the famous Rolling Stone Magazine and was also featured in The Untidy Season: An Anthology of Nebraska Women Poets, a collection that showcases authors of all styles.

Though not raised in Nebraska, Fox has lived here long enough to call herself “Nebraska-Adjacent” and looks up to many Midwest creatives. What particularly inspired her was the 2019 flooding that caused a wave of destruction of Midwest farmland. Fox has found that the environment around her provides much of her inspiration since she has become familiar with the prairie landscape. She puts this idea beautifully: “[I think] a sense of who you are and what you care about always bleeds into your work.”

As someone who grew up in Western Nebraska and found comfort within writing and reading, (there was not much else to do!), I certainly agree with Fox’s sentiment. In school we would read novels relating to our environment such as Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman. Like Fox, I looked at what was familiar around me when writing, with one instance being a short story about the brown squirrels that lived in my grandparents’ farmhouse.

It was fantastic to converse with Jackie Fox about her works and discuss our mutual inspiration. When asked if there was anything else she wanted to mention, she pondered briefly, and then only wished to bring words of encouragement to writers of all genres and styles. Fox believes that the world needs poetry and creative works now more than ever. “The Things that have spoken to me the most,” she said, “are through poetry. It’s spoken to me the strongest. I wish to encourage others to continue writing and find that ‘natural music’ that can speak to you!”

Found Poem: Letter to Oliver Fox, August 11, 1949

Jackie Fox

Your pig was shown in the Congress
but the judges thought he was too thick.
I feel sure the pig will stand up well
at your Nebraska State Fair
under a different judge.
Several good breeders like him,
Art Arens especially.

Feed him plenty of good rolled oats
and a little milk if you can,
so he will grow and not get too fat
as he is only a March 18th pig,
and should make a big boar.

Let me know how he does at the Fair
and if we can be of further service,
feel free to write.

Yours for Better Durocs,

C.R. Smith and Son

[originally published in Laurus, 1991 | cover photo Pat Steinke]