I Have Nothing to Say About The News

I have nothing to say and I am saying it and that is poetry as I need it.

- John Cage

I have nothing to say and I don’t know about you but I’m feeling tired these days and trying to remember that bit of poem by William Carlos Williams from “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower” that Scott Gregory writes about:

It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.

What exactly does Williams mean? That poems are meaningless? I’ve always wondered that this is commentary on news too. I’m grateful these days that people continue to make poems and songs and dances and artworks and that we live in a time where it’s possible for these to be shared in some way across small screens. It’s cozy in a way that I will remember later as cozy.

Anyway and otherwise, these things inspired me recently:

• Fantastic Fungi. This is a fantastic documentary and a great introduction to the mysteries and benefits of mushrooms on our planet. Brie Larson narrates the voice of the mushrooms of the planet (podcast episode reference) and Michael Pollan shares his experiences with mushrooms. The photography is amazing.

• How Mushroom Time-Lapses Are Filmed. Louie Schwartzberg shot “Fantastic Fungi” and Wired Magazine asked him how. This 8:43 video blew my mind at how many unknowns Schwartzberg wrestled to get the amazing shots of mushrooms growing for the documentary.

• KitchenAid Releases New 80-Pound, Stainless Steel Block For Taking Up Counter Space. Via “The Onion.” Could this be considered a visual poem? Are poems only made of words as words represent images? So many layers.

• Here’s How Much to Ride a Week to Keep Your Brain 9 Years Younger. I expected an article on the psychological benefits of riding a bicycle to stay young. Looks like science, if you believe in that sort of thing (to be clear—that’s a joke), can calculate time on a bike with reversed aging.

• Gurdeep Pandher of the Yukon. Wouldn’t it be cool if some dude who lived in a cabin in the middle of Yukon, Canada posted short videos on Twitter of himself dancing Bhangra (traditional dance of Punjab) as a way to inspire happiness? Oh look, Gurdeep is doing that.