 |
| Photo: James Walsh |
“We can know only that we know nothing.
And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
At the beginning of this month Douglas Florian challenged us to write poems about nothing. One might presume there isn't a whole lot to say about nothing, but that, my friends, would be wrong. With over forty contributed poems, I only wish I could have featured more of them.
Thank you to everyone who gave Nothing a voice for this month's challenge, and especially to Douglas Florian, for tuning us in and turning up the volume.
I hope you'll take your time as you read and ponder this collection. If Leo Tolstoy was right, perhaps we'll all walk away a bit wiser for having done so.
All poems are © 2016 (unless otherwise noted) and published with permission of the authors, who control all rights.
One thing I've learned from reading these poems is that Nothing can be found most anywhere...
In QUIET MOMENTS by ourselves...
MUSHROOMS
by Suzy Levinson
Deep in the hush and the gloom of the wood,
mushrooms are standing like they've always stood.
No one knows they're there.
The world's in a rush! It keeps zooming around!
No one looks down at what lives on the ground...
Mushrooms? They don't care.
 |
| – cbhanek (click to enlarge) |
NOTHING
by Jessica Bigi
Untraced daffodils
Umbrella rains
Unfold wings
Untangle strings
Unwinding winds
Unwanted bees
Unrolling rivers
Untraced dandelions
Unhitch leaves
Unraked yards
Umbrella moon
Unfolded snowflakes
Unmarked pages
Unmarked pages
Unwritten untraced
Unseasoned nothing
FROM NOTHING…
February sun shines
on snow,
fluffy flakes implode
and drip
drip
drip
vanishing into soil
fading into sky, leaving
nothing
but gray slush
and brown earth,
rolling clouds,
a warm whiff,
and the promise
of something.
– Buffy Silverman
Margaret Simon found nothing with a borrowed line from Barbara Crooker, “Ordinary Life” in THE WOMAN IN THIS POEM selected by Georgia Heard:
This was a day when nothing happened.
I swept the floor.
Leaves piled with swirly
dust–not many left on trees
this winter day, but the sun
shone through a break in the clouds
making my gathering glisten.
I stopped to switch laundry
pulled long sleeves from the dryer.
Soft warmth brushed my cheek.
The dryer hummed a rhythm.
Time enough for another cup of coffee,
another deep breath of nothing happening.
I promised God to be present.
He said, “It’s all in the way you look at things.”
So I swept
words into a small pile
on a page
where nothing much was happening.
– Margaret Simon
BLANK
Line after line in invisible ink –
Couplets come clean with invisible think.
Nothing much needed for blank verse this way –
a nay-scheming, day-dreaming
do-nothing
day
– Robyn Hood Black
NOTHING IN PARTICULAR
by Lana Wayne Koehler
Like the television show about nothing,
the day-to-day musings of love and life
and nothing in particular, make up my days.
A quilt stitched with time and batted with memories
to keep me warm
in my winter.
NOTHING IN PARTICULAR
by Sarah Rudd Ragsdale
nothing is not for nothing
it is for the sanity of my brain
it is for too much rain on the plain
it is for all the elephants who love rain
but would rather sit down and do nothing
MEDITATION
by Kathleen Mazurowski
Thoughts swirling through the air
Heavy with guilt and angst.
Drama escaping into daily life.
Stop!
Just breathe,
No thoughts,
No expectations,
No emotions,
Nothing.
 |
| – Diane Mayr (click to enlarge) |
Or in OUR RELATIONSHIPS with others...
NOTHING
by Elizabeth Steinglass
Sometimes
nothing
is smaller
than anything.
Nothing’s
what’s left
when something’s
all gone.
Other times
nothing
feels bigger
than
everything,
like when
I’m thinking
of someone
who’s gone.
THE STORY OF NOTHING – To Miranda on her 13th Birthday
by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
At first there was Nothing—
not an inkling,
not a hint,
not even a whisper of déjà vu.
Then, Nothing grew.
It was hardly noticeable really.
Like a thought
perched on the kitchen counter
swinging her carrot peel legs,
wondering what’s for dinner.
In time, she became
an idea, a notion, a dream….
Such lofty aspirations,
though entirely unremarkable.
Nothing was a good girl.
She never stepped out of line.
Until the day she met you.
Born from a glorious wave
of something,
together, you surged with the grace of a typhoon.
CHANGE minds!
Make a DIFFERENCE!
SAVE the EARTH!
one crayon,
one smiley,
one heart at a time.
And nothing about Nothing
stayed the same.
A LITTLE NOTHINGnot an inkling,
not a hint,
not even a whisper of déjà vu.
Then, Nothing grew.
It was hardly noticeable really.
Like a thought
perched on the kitchen counter
swinging her carrot peel legs,
wondering what’s for dinner.
In time, she became
an idea, a notion, a dream….
Such lofty aspirations,
though entirely unremarkable.
Nothing was a good girl.
She never stepped out of line.
Until the day she met you.
Born from a glorious wave
of something,
together, you surged with the grace of a typhoon.
CHANGE minds!
Make a DIFFERENCE!
SAVE the EARTH!
one crayon,
one smiley,
one heart at a time.
And nothing about Nothing
stayed the same.
by Katie Gast
“I’d like a little nothing,” my father said to me.
The nothing that he wanted was impossible to see.
Not animal, nor mineral, nor vegetable, but this:
The nothing that I gave him was just a little kiss.
CONVERSATIONS WITH MY TEENAGE BOY
by Tricia Stohr-Hunt
What did you do in school today?
Nothing.
What’s wrong son?
Nothing.
How was the play?
Nothing to write home about.
Complaint on the second day of summer vacation—
There’s nothing to do!
While folding his underwear in the living room—
Is nothing sacred?!
Good luck with your audition.
Here goes nothing.
How did you rip another pair of jeans?
You’re making a lot of fuss about nothing.
How mad are you mom?
I have nothing to say.
DEFINITELY SOMETHING
by Christine Rodenbour
First, it was nothing.
Truly!
Nothing.
But then, it wasn’t.
I just didn’t know it yet. My head didn’t know it. My heart didn’t know it.
My love didn’t know it (and he knows everything).
But,
Someone knew. Someone knew it wasn’t nothing. But someone wasn’t telling.
Yet.
Anyhow, time passed.
And nothing? Poof! A little girl. She’s three and she’s definitely something.
Well, I’ll be! What else in this world is nothing?
 |
| via Unsplash |
Because temperatures were in the single digits,
I threw on the old red barn coat
I used to wear for winter dog walks.
I saw you looking at the frayed cuffs,
the faded canvas,
the corduroy collar.
I've owned this coat longer than you've been alive.
What do you own now that will last that long?
Probably nothing.
– Mary Lee Hahn
NOTHING
by Mindy Gars Dolandis
Now we sit here, face to face
On opposite sides of the table
Together, yet a million miles away
Hapless, hopeless hearts clothed in apathy
Indifference begins when the romance ends
Negating all that once was blended
Ground zero replaces lovers and friends
Nothing answers to MANY...
NOTHING
by Mindy Gars Dolandis
diddly squat, zero, zilch
bupkis, zippo, goose egg, nil
niekas, niente, niets, niks,
intet, semmi, res, gar nichts
mitte midagi, kitu, wala
boten, kahore, lutho, nada
ekkert, rien, ohunkohun
kanthu, hech, pa gen anyen
tidak ada, apa-apa
na inona na inona
rud ar bith, neneo, waxba
bugger all, nihil, nima
African or Austronesian
urban slang or European
Though it has a different name
the meaning still remains the same
And to NO ONE...
SUMMER VACATION!?
by Brenda Davis Harsham
I won’t write what you tell me!
I have my own plans,
my own thoughts and dreams,
why should I write what you tell me?
Who cares about summer?
Tyler island-hopped in Hawai’i,
Aaron played violin in Jerusalem,
and Nick picked mangoes in India.
Big deal!
Where did I go?
I’m not telling,
I’ll take my secret to the grave!
I’ve seen people fall down,
my stepbrother’s red face up in mine,
dishes break, haters gunna hate,
that’s my summer,
you can’t make me say anything!
Okay, I went nowhere!
I can’t tell you about Vermont or
Antarctica or Australia or Katmandu.
I can tell you about nowhere and nothing!
That’s what I did. I went nowhere,
and I did nothing.
I hid. I ran. I got through every day.
But I won’t write what you say!
Nothing doing!
NOTHING
by Kathryn Apel
I’ve nothing to write
and nothing to say
because nothing has happened
tonight or today.
Nothing is planned
and nothing is new,
so nothing is what
I am going to do.
So take nothing from me;
I’ve nothing to give.
Nothing is wrong –
nothing’s left to forgive.
THE CONQUERING
by Janie Lazo
Branches call- Up! Up!
I accept their dare- I climb.
My fear is nothing.
So it's best to keep a SENSE OF HUMOR...
A POEM ABOUT NOTHING
– Lee Bennett Hopkins
TO DO NOTHING OR NOT TO DO NOTHING…
by Michelle Kogan
Sir Blah moved to County Nothing.
He rose each day to do something
But folks there all feared
He’d grow to revered,
And begged Blah, please don’t do a thing!
NOTHING LEFT!
by Janie Lazo
The holidays came- oh the treats that they brought.
Well I simply can't diet- I should - but I'm not!
So I munched on the cookies and bright candy canes
And I ate and I ate till just crumbs now remain.
I loved every minute- I enjoyed every bit!
But I need a new wardrobe as NOTHING will fit!
Sometimes Nothing PLAYS HARD TO GET...
A LITTLE POEM ABOUT NOTHING
by Madeleine Kuderick, ©2011
What does nothing look like?
Is it clear like a stream?
Would it drip right through my fingertips?
Should it feel like a dream?
What does nothing look like?
Is it light as thin air?
Could I catch it in a jelly jar?
Would it float like clouds in there?
What does nothing look like?
Is it just empty space?
If I touch it like a missing tooth
would nothing be in place?
What does nothing look like?
Is it brighter than light?
Could I make it show itself to me
like breath on winter’s night?
What does nothing look like?
Is it deep in my heart?
Is nothing really just the place
where all the best things start?
SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND? NOTHING, BUT...
by Linda Baie
My weekend can be filled with nothing,
or capture empty hours with something.
While winter windowpanes show snow,
here is how the day will flow:
cartwheel through the minutes writing,
listen to Mozart as I’m rhyming,
snuggle into books inspiring,
crunch the deepening snow when hiking,
photograph the birds out flying,
follow tracks of rabbits hopping.
Upon return, the fire waits,
with tea and toast upon my plate.
Nothing’s all a state of mind;
something’s what I mean to find.
NOTHING
by Kate O'Neil
I could think of nothing when
I read this writing task.
It was nothing short of stupid -
a crazy thing to ask.
But now I've nothing personal
against this Florian chap -
a poem that's good for nothing
doesn't mind a gap
but leaps across forever like
a unicorn in flight.
You might think nothing of it but
it's nothing if not right.
Once when offered 'all or nothing'
it was 'all' or I complained
but now I've ventured nothing
and nothing's what I've gained,
I know there 's nothing to it
so you'd better not forget
if you won't stop at nothing,
you ain't seen nothing yet.
NOTHING
by Kristi Dee Veitenheimer
Thirty minutes to write about anything I want...
I glance down
and see a big,
blank
page
staring back at me.
As soon as my teacher
turns the dial
on the timer,
my mind goes as
blank
as the paper.
Empty.
No thoughts.
No words.
No sentences.
A desert,
dry and parched.
Searching for something,
anything.
Thirty minutes later,
still nothing.
Ugh.
Nothing,
except for
my
name.
CAPTURING NOTHING
by LeeAnn Blankenship
This assignment’s impossible – clearly I see
That a poem on nothingness really can’t be.
I believe that by giving this challenge some thought,
My concept of "nothing" has surely been caught;
It’s been chased and then lassoed and, strangely, somehow
It’s been changed into “something” you’re reading right now.
NOTHING IS PERFECT
by Donna JT Smith
I’m taking a trip
Into nothingness;
I’m not sure the distance
But nonetheless,
Yes, Nothing is what
I am aiming for;
I want Nothing less
And Nothing more.
Nothing can stop me,
Nothing will do;
Yes, I’ll stop at Nothing
On earth, it’s true!
Nothing is left
Yet it's also right;
A couple more feet -
Till Nothing’s in sight!
Oh, Nothing was found -
And it’s clear to see
That Nothing is what
It’s cracked up to be.
Yes, Nothing’s the matter
I’m headed for
And Nothing is finer
On any shore.
Oh, I’ll stop at Nothing
Of the kind -
Where Nothing on earth
Is the bestest find.
I’ve found the way to
This Nothing place,
Where Nothing's perfect -
Note smiling face!
While other times, it SNEAKS UP ON US...
MY POEM ABOUT NOTHING
by Linda Mitchell
When I sit with a book
nothing matters at all.
I hear nothing --
specially Mom’s call
to pick up my clothes
I don’t see on the floor.
Or, put on my shoes
to run out the door
for someplace she’s told
me we’re going
ten times before….
Now...
I’m deep in a nothing
else matters page--
A glorious plot twisting
what-happens-next stage.
A villain to catch
A plan to hatch
Will lovers unite?
Clocks strike midnight!
If I read too fast
The story won’t last
long enough for
this nothing to
not matter
anymore.
 |
| labeled for reuse — pixabay |
with thoughts about
racial and economic
inequality
and I read the news
of the Afghan woman
whose nose was cut off
by her husband.
Then I spent
twenty minutes
drawing the opening
amaryllis buds
and the only thing
in my mind was this
everyday miracle.
Nothing else.
–Mary Lee Hahn
FULL OF NOTHING
by Catherine Flynn
An empty pot is full of nothing
but space for chicken soup,
bubbling and warm.
An empty box is full of nothing
but the opportunity for a gift,
adored and cherished.
An empty page is full of nothing
but possibilities for your poem,
honest and true.
An empty hand is full of nothing
but room to hold yours,
calm and reassuring.
An empty heart is full of nothing
but potential for love,
a treasure beyond measure.
PROOF
by Martha O'Quinn
In order to become nothing
there must have been something;
my logic don't you see?
I was nothing
until nature made me something,
and that nothing now is me!
NOTHING
by Leane Gill
Nothing sat quietly as he always did
The shortest explanation-he's a great kid.
Another boy in pre-school of the angry sort-
never left nothing alone and let out a mean retort,
"I'm sitting next to no-one!" He exclaimed rather loud,
the other kids gathered round til there was quite a crowd.
Nothing just smiled-how silly these name callers be!
"Nothing is my name-so I am somebody, you see?
You can't be somebody & nobody all at the same time,
unless "Nothing" is your name in a case just like mine!"
by Michelle Kogan
Nothing is never nothing there is always something there...
Something lingering, itching and begging–
Come and think of me, digress, disengage
hehehe, I’m the nothing that’s something.
I’m there unknown cautiously, gingerly, connivingly,
waiting for you, for that special moment,
you know, when you’re about ready to blow
hehehe, ready to envelope you.
That’s when you show what you’ve got!
Whoa, oh no, you dig deeper,
I’m starting to faaade... Something is changing,
your thinking of that one thought and leaving
me behiiiind... But hehe I’ll be waaaaiting...
THE NOTHING
by Maria Marshall
Noises, echoing and creaking.
Old bones? Or just
The house settling?
Howling from the attic.
I know it's THE
NOTHING, or maybe it's .....
Ghosts.
And waits for CREATIVITY to ignite...
A CREATION TALE
by Violet Nesdoly
Before there ever was anything
Creator had the thought
of replacing nothing with something
to make things where there now were not.
The home for his creation could be
land or sky, ice or sea.
He could fill it with creatures feathered or scaled
furry or smooth, hided or hard.
They could move on feet, hoofs or wings
hop on claws or swim with fins.
Call to each other with honk or bray
laugh, nicker, warble or say.
And there could be things that would only stand
spreading green across the land
with hats of red, yellow or blue
and luscious fruit of every hue…
His mind was so full of these wonderful thoughts
he was getting nothing done.
But how to choose among so many
nothing to something begun?
So he decided to make them all
use all these ideas and more.
And that was the end of nothing.
Now there’s something forevermore.
 |
| – Carol Varsalona |
 |
| – Keri Collins Lewis (click to enlarge) |
Finally, don't miss this collection of student poems, thanks to Mrs. Simon's classroom in New Iberia, Louisiana.
Inspired to write your own poem about nothing?
Seriously, what have you got to lose? (I think you know the answer to that.)
You have until Sunday, January 31st to send your poem to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.
Participants in this month's challenge will be automatically entered to win a signed copy of THE WONDERFUL HABITS OF RABBITS, by Douglas Florian and illustrated by Sonia Sánchez (little bee books, 2016). One entry per participant, not per poem.Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below. If you contribute a poem and comment below you will earn two entries in total. Comments must be received by Tuesday, February 2nd.
The winner will be determined by Random.org and announced next Friday, February 5th, when we reveal our new Spotlight ON interview and ditty challenge.
Best of luck!
