Just as I was scrambling to pack and send off gifts to far-flung friends, a very interesting box, and idea, arrived for me. Artist and dear friend Lisa Morphew’s yearly Christmas box came decorated with trees in red marker and…a poem. It had been printed out and taped on the OUTSIDE, the name of the poet, Sarah Messer, scribbled below. 

What a simple, clever piece of guerilla signage that would add no more than 5 minutes to the packing up a gift.

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

And how wonderful! Who knows how many people who handled that box on its way read the poem, or even a snippet of it?

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

What poem would you print out to attach to your packages?

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4 replies on “Guerilla Mail: Packages with Poems

  1. Obviously, the poem I am posting would only be appropriate for some packages but I love it too much not to share it…

    Judith Viorst: When I watch

    When I watch my oldest son
    With his little daughter,
    Reading her books,
    Or patiently braiding her hair,
    Or waiting while she chooses, and changes her mind, and
    chooses, and changes her mind about
    What she will wear,
    And when I watch him bathing her,
    Or kissing a bump on her forehead to make it better,
    Or tenderly tucking her into bed at night,
    I know that, though I did a lot of things wrong,
    I must have done a few things right.

  2. I don’t think we should be worrying about what’s appropriate for a package. Just putting a poem on a package is a transforming thing….
    I love your poem. Thanks Ellen!

  3. Song of Gelberhund

    inspired by:
    popof-serenity
    thriftworks-the dab factor
    moondog-theme & variation
    moondog-down is up

    i dreamt of a love lost
    & not remembered
    the muse that i love

    i might have written this one thousands times before
    & after each forget
    the muse that i love

    bit by bit ill crawl from the pit
    one thousand times again
    for the muse that i love

    i am gelberhund
    i will track you down
    i dwell in the fractures

    the fractals

    the golden hound

    brother blue star

    seriously…

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