Seems like there’s a few mushroom memory poems in me trying to make their way out. So we’d best let them. It is an interesting corollary of creative activity that once you start down a certain pathway of thinking/exploration, more & more bubbles to the surface, including things you may not have thought about in decades or even remember you remembered.
WARNING: The Factoid is a pretty shocking and revelatory reveal that will quite possibly BLOW your mind.
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field mushrooms Agaricus multitudinous
one of my favourite memories as a child was wandering the wet grassed dew paddocks in my wellies
& finding huge white beauties with chocolate brown gills smelling of earth & muddy fertility some the size of plates
talking with my parents several days ago we agreed don’t see as many as we used to anecdotally at least
back then the adventure was the finding not the eating some things stay the same but others change drastically
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Day 08 Factoid – Not all mushrooms taste the same
the unusual instance of 3 mushrooms in 1 Agaricus bisporus
1. Button entirely white baby blobs of bland reason for near universal popularity unknown
2. Cremini brown capped no visible gills firmer texture difficult to source in Oz
3. Portobello large rugged roofed flat brown caps & visible gills at last looking like a proper mushy
4. Revelation all these mushrooms are the same the minor difference is age the major difference is taste (you’re welcome)
This one has been building for many days. In an ideal world, perhaps it should have been the first poem of the month. But it’s not. What ya gonna do about it? It’s here now. & it’s okay.
The Poetic Factoid has the potential to be revisited in a bigger poem later on as there’s lots of interesting things about that particular topic.
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first impressions
when i think of mushrooms : it’s almost always something primal : something primitivistic : something pagan : something archetypal : something out of the dim distant past : something older than dinosaurs : something ancient & eternal : more chthonic than Cthulhu : yet still something otherworldly : something Lovecraftian : something neverending : something overpowering : something from Ovid’s Metamorphosis : constantly transforming
primordial : growing among the decay : the rot : the hummus holes of homes : the wet humble detritus of life : in a forest : in a cave : somewhere dark : somewhere dank : somewhere quiet : somewhere eternal : somewhere enchanted intertwined entangled beguiled
yet for all this : passionate : active : evocative : working hard to make the world better : to restore : to regenerate : to rejuvenate
to con : tinue on
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Day 06 Factoid — Space fungi are badassess
star spores
7 years ago a number of unoffending fungi were deliberately attached to the hull of the ISS by malicious scientists
exposing them to a year of space’s malevolent triple threat cosmic radiation complete vacuum & Kelvin-level temps
despite the deep freeze many both survived the ordeal & were capable of reproducing themselves afterwards
hinting at the possibility fungi could well be excellent interstellar explorers
FOG Day 1 of 2. Nothing like getting it out of the way early on.Another Case Study poem, with a slight difference to yesterday’s & probably all that conceivably will follow it. Note: I’m pretty pleased with today’s poem also which means heavy redaction.
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Case Study: Aboriri gravis #2: Tomb Dweller
[please click to enlarge image]
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Factoid Day 05 – TIL I learnt about potential biblical fungi
manna mania
that the bible does not mention mushrooms once says everything i need to know
yet some cheeky scholars suggest the small round things that appear after morning dew — are psilocybin mushrooms
Today’s poem is an attempt at answering a question I get asked often (or variations thereof) — why do you read so much? It’s a tough one because it seems pretty self-evident to me … but over the years I’ve jotted down various reasons & this poem attempts to pull them together into a cohesive form. It’s possibly still too long & requires an edit. I’ll see how it looks/feels in a couple of weeks’ time.
The Factoid concerns the correlation between empathy & reading fiction …
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why READ : an inexhaustive list
why do I breath : I mean : seriously
cos I can’t not : compulsion
it’s : escape & refuge : adventureland & safe space : idyllic pasts & dystopian futures : a chance to ignore the dumpster fire that the world constantly seems like it wants to become : just for a few hours
to get lost : lose time : time travel : to walk a mile : or warp the space time continuum : cause the real world to cease to exist : lose myself : in the wash & flow : of well told tale
to let this : always overworked brain : go off leash to glean answers for questions : I didn’t even know : I needed to ask to explore the beauty : & darkness of humanity : to share a sacred indulgence to understand myself : others : the world : to heal the wounds : to fill the lonely void of the universe’s vastness with a brief flicker of light
to experience : sustenance : catharsis : terror : joy : sadness : triumphs : heartbreaks : tears & sorrows
to share minds with : philosophers two thousand years dead : Caesars : physicists capable of explaining the universe : poets who explain the human heart : saints & sinners : & tanner’s sons from small market towns who change the world
because I can’t live every life I want to because I can live lives I wouldn’t want to actually experience but enjoy experiencing because it’s fun being thrown into other universes : other time periods : other countries : other cities : other world views : other consciousnesses : other POVs : hell it’s even fun just to be thrown across the street : things look rather different from behind their curtains than mine
relax : after long tiring days rejuvenate : on days when I have to do : nothing
I love words I love stories
I like who I am when I read I like looking through mirrors & into windows
I’m a loner who enjoys solitude silence stillness : dreaming while awake
because the alternative : isn’t an option
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Day 08 Factoid – Reading fiction increases empathy
walking a mile in someone’s book
countless studies have shown:
folks who read fiction often have greater social cognition (work out what people think & feel) are better at measuring interpersonal sensitivity are more likely to help can identify, understand, & share in someone else’s feelings behave more altruistically result in better doctors
so, to repeat reading fiction is empathy-building so stop farking about here go read a goddamn novel & become a better person you numpty (or words to that effect)
Always pleased when this month is over (“April is the cruellest month” indeed). That said, I’ve been planning for this poem for a while — ever since the inspiration for it came. A variation on much of this month’s stuff …
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(M)orpheus
in the last bliss-filled : moments before dawn : i complete a poem : i’m soul-fizzingly pleased with
after days of starts & snatches abstract : unoriginal images & clunky similes i’ve completed : one beautiful thing to pay tribute : to orpheus & his life-destroying doubt
single-handed walked a difficult path : ploughed through prose : purpled : pumpkin patched : & guided : something delicate & rare to the light
just as i am about to read : over it : in a highly gleeful, cork-popping : champagne-guzzling celebratory way
a cockatoo screech of alarm : curses me : & those lines : of poetic perfection : whisper away into ether
like eurydice’s half-smile
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Day 30 — TIL i learnt 7 Facts About Grief & (may have made up) 1 Myth
7 Facts About Grief & 1 Myth
Fact #1: Is normal #2: Hard work #3: Unpredictable #4: It comes & goes #5: Always takes longer #6: The way out is through #7: Yours is the worst kind
Today’s poem was quick & easy to write (huzzah!). I’ve had this image saved for weeks. I’ve loved it & known I wanted to use it. About a week ago the title came to me; then the basic content/narrative context/mood/emotion I wanted to explore. The rest, as they say …
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light : at the end of the tunnel
the light : at the end of the tunnel : has tainted me : taunted me : haunted me : since I first saw it : with her : since I last saw : her : drifting into dust : in striking sunshine : dissolving into darkness : would : I could walk : that path again : have those few seconds ago : take ten more steps : five even : would that I could : have been : would that I was : a better man : a stronger man : the world : would look : so much brighter
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Day 29 — TIL i should be napping more
Nap \Nap\, n. A short sleep; a doze; a siesta.
i. Definition A nap is a short period of sleep usually occuring during the day. Already I’m listening …
ii. Naps can deliver a number of benefits Brief naps can be restorative & reduce fatigue. They may counteract daytime drowsiness. These both seem self evident, but fair enough
Naps can prevent/improve treatment of heart, lung, blood & sleep disorders. Good-oh. Will take all these
A short daytime snooze may also boost workplace performance. Not as fussed about this but ok
Athletes may experience improved endurance, reaction times, & cognitive performance. Again not overly fussed
iii. Other health benefits One study found napping 1 or 2 times a week was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular problems, (heart attack, stroke, heart disease). Tick tick & tick
Naps may be associated with a lowered risk of a rupture of aneurysms. Things stopping things exploding in my brain are always welcomed
iv. Tips to Take the Best Nap Now we’re talking.
How Long Should a Nap Be? The idea adult nap length is 20 minutes but no longer than 30. 20 minutes’ light sleep boosts alertness without entering deep sleep & potential grogginess/
Look to be honest, I think I’m gonna take it from here. It’s all good. No need to keep preaching — we’re singing from the same hymn book & what you haven’t told me, I think I’ll figure out myself. Infactim feelingkinda sleepynowimight\\justgolie ……………………….…………………………………………d ………………………………..………..……………………….. o ……………………………..………………………………….. w
By this stage of proceedings there are lots of random lines, fragments of poems, copies of poems I’ve read over the past month, research notes, etc. After working on a couple of technically challenging poems that weren’t quite working & feeling decidedly uninspired after several hours successlessness; I decided just to play a game & redact a poem I’d read a couple of weeks ago which had a few interesting lines/images, reducing it down to max of three words per line (per original line), often much less than that. Then subbing words from line 2 down into line 8 & vice versa, then occasionally importing whole new words where it seemed useful, then jiggling lines up or down to help them make a bit more sense. The poem is not quite there & feels a little off but I quite like it even if I’m no 100 per cent what it’s saying in every moment. More work post-NaPoWriMo …
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reduction
wing-covered madness soul halfdrunk black liquor lures delirium, hands sound victory without valour terrible-eyed sun won’t allow respite beseeched, prayer-pestered manything torn away suffering like rocks the coming storm hours of prison cool hands, sweet light distant shadows alien phosphorescent uproar comfortless last words
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Day 28 — TIL goldfish are more musically inclined than me
On Thinking It Out, Let’s Get Loud
goldfish can distinguish the music of one composer from another ooh, let’s get it on
just thinking out loud perhaps they should use them to see if Ed Sheeren really did rip off Marvin Gaye
Today was back-the-front because the Poetic Factoid pome came first, which then gave me time to stop & think what I should write for the Big O sequence. It was an easy choice. Somewhere along the way, I started (perhaps subconsciously) pairing the two thematically or otherwise; now it’s become intentional.
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euphoria
it should ache / hurt more / than it does / this wrenching / these many hands / hot hands / wet slippery hands / angry hands / clawing / scratching / screeching / hooting / as they pull me / a / part / like a cloud / i can / only / feel one thing / the buzz / of a billion bees / as my soul / is systemically / set free / as the notes i was / float high / & begin / piece/meal / the long journey / back down below / down / that cold clay / path / i know backwards / but have not / trod / in many years / at last / now / a home / coming / a / re/union / with / she / who was lost / to me / twice before / but soon / no more
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Day 27 — TIL a bit about biology
% H2O
i’ve long known the human body is largely water (60% on average) however TIL the percentage changes slightly with age, sex, & hydration ranging from 45 to 75%
i’d like to posit it also varies depending on the time of night because at 3am doonasnuggled nearing zero outside then i feel close to 98-99% aqua before the suddenly urgent dunnydash — yet strangely only about 12 or 13% upon my safe if shivering return to 4-poster perfection
some folks argue sex with your true love is about as wonderful a sensation this gourd offers but the zen of empty bladder after holding on too long surely comes close
Monday’s volume of poetry read was a recent purchase & one I’ve been saving for the end of the month: Brian Bilston’s Alexa, what is there to know about love? I was saving Bilston for the end because he’s so fun & playful & cheeky & clever in his word game poems — & I suspected/knew I’d need an energising pick me up (this month more than usual; or perhaps not, perhaps it always feels this way by the end. I suspect it does, we just choose to blank it out).
“Love in the Age of Google” is a poem made up of single lines from google’s predictive text. I’ve seen a couple of other attempts at this type of poem & thought today is a good day to test it out (for reasons which will hopefilly become clearer in Poem 2). Curation of results has taken place. I wish I made more time to make both poems shorter, tighter, but I don’t …
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Predicting Orpheus
1. DuckDuckGo (yes other search engines are available)
did orpheus save eurydice did orpheus look back did orpheus die did orpheus have children did orpheus see eurydice in the underworld
— think most of these are pretty easy to answer, though the children one pulls me up short
why did orpheus look back why did orpheus look back at eurydice why did orpheus decide to rescue his wife why did orpheus go to the underworld why did orpheus die
— hmmm, feel like these are questions i should’ve asked at the start of the month. life mightabeen easier.
why was orpheus why was orpheus killed why was orpheus adored in thrace why was ephesus abandoned why was ephesus an important city why was morpheus recast
— sometimes the algorithm breaks down, yes, even before i do
2. Google
i. did orpheus what instrument did orpheus play …..oh good, an easy one. the lute. ah, harp. the lyre, the lyre… what did orpheus do …..wandered round the place singing. after that, things get ugly how did orpheus get into the underworld …..excellent question, one which took me considerable …..time in my books & online to answer how did orpheus die …..not pleasantly. will that suffice?
ii. why did orpheus why did orpheus go to the underworld …..even not knowing the tale, surely this is work-outable why did orpheus look back …..which is, of course, the crux why did eurydice run away from orpheus …..run away? really? that’s the verb you’ve chosen. why did orpheus look back at eurydice …..it really all comes back to this, doesn’t it? why did the maenads kill orpheus …..is “it’s complicated” a good enough reply?
iii. outtakes & bloopers (in the interest of balance, google had its share of quirky predictions too)
~why did roman kill orpheus wife ~why did hades give orpheus a condition ~why did the gods gave condition to orpheus ~why did thanatos come out of orpheus ~why did morpheus kill orpheus
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Day 26 — TACD (Today Another Company Died)
The Online Jungle — worse than the real Amazon
i. Audiobookstand, Avalon Books, Bookpages, BookSurge, Telebook, TobyPress, & Waldenbooks
all book-related businesses Amazon has bought & closed (sometimes parts are “merged”)
sadly today Book Depository has been added to that list
a UK online book store once known for its wild range affordability, & free worldwide D
launched in 2004 Amazon “acquired” the company in 2011 (it was several years before i realised my protest purchasing was still lining bald Jeff’s pockets)
but don’t feel too bad (Amazon don’t)
they still own: Audible, Abebooks, GoodReads, ComiXology
none of which they developed themselves. all bought out to prop up/become part of the Bezos behemoth
& this isn’t all of them
there’s MGM, Twitch, IMDb, Kiva, WholeFoods & countless others across disciplines i’ve not even listed at least 115, possibly more
ii. these “killer acquisitions” aren’t limited to the cut throat world of books
fossil fuel companies do it buy green startups shut them down because they don’t want the competition
pharmaceutical companies buy rivals to eliminate competing therapies under development so theirs is the only alternative
it’s something we should all care about it’s why our antitrust laws need to be given real teeth
The superimposed theme has made this year’s Anzac Day Poem a trifle harder than previous years. I’m pleased with the angle taken, though I think it might be expanded upon in a future draft…
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the dead down under
long squatting on a rock observing the ferryman
causes me to note the dead do not seem to ever cease arriving
lately though it’s easy to tell some het up petty king up above
must be arguing with some other equally belligerent lord
cos the deadstream of bewildered soldiers is wider swifter & deeper than Styx itself
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Day 25 — TIL about biscuits
The Original Anzac Biscuit
i. first up: the delicious sweet biscuit of childhood rolled oats & golden syrup is not the original Gallipoli treat (*even if it is best)
ii. hardtack biscuits are exactly as tasty as they sound having been a soldier’s staple ration for centuries (& some allegedly were that old)
iii. a bread substitute whose best attribute is it doesn’t go mouldy (well yum) unlike bread, they’re very, very hard not to mention pretty well unpalatable
iv. to make them semi-digestible they were ground into a kind of gruel by grating & adding water — for something more exotic (once soaked) jam was added before baking over a fire into “tarts” not quite like mother used to make
v. if you didn’t want to eat them (& why would you) you could also to write letters to loved ones & send them home or use them as paint canvases or photo frames one even transformed to “christmas card” with that most christmas of topics — a tropical scene — painted on it including the wonderful verse WE’RE SENDING THIS / (WE’LL RISK IT) / XMAS CARDS ARE VERY / SCARCE SO WE / WROTE IT ON A BISCUIT
gareth roi poet boi 