Sun Tide - A Poem By Paul Vincent Cannon

Absorbing Possibility - Haibun by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Frank is hosting the Haibun with an invitation to write a sci-fi haibun – for more detail follow the link below: dVerse Poets – Haibun – Scifi Haibun Image by ImaArtist from Pixabay “Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare” David Bowie Absorbing Possibility Borg-like I shape to ascend the pod. I smile at the robots now reduced to menial tasks, this is the new age beyond…

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Chou - haiku by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay “The bite into the round jubilance of peach.” Li-Young Lee Chou Any name might doeight immortals of the fruit,exalted spring peach Copyright 2024 ©️Paul Vincent CannonAll Rights Reserved ®️ Not: the Chinese ideogram shou or Chou is based by shape on the pit of a peach.

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Same Old - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay “When I have fears that I may cease to be” John Keats Same OldA while backdigging in the weedy spring undergrowth,discarded skincaught my attention,surely a goanna's butno, a snake came byjust to remind methat you can peal offthe outre layerwhile the inner canremain the same old same. Copyright 2025 ©️Paul Vincent CannonAll Rights Reserved ®️

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Every Evil - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image by Yogendra Singh from Pixabay “… where concrete slogans armed with body conflict expunge paradise …” Kari Edwards Every EvilMy headsteam pressure valvescreaming from my mouthso loudmy lungs crawled out,my eyes hemmed body trapped inside a replicating babushka dollcursed by the magician'sapprentice, knowingno one could hear,all the while feelingevery evil,screaming aching for an…

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Restoration - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Photo: news.com.au “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other” Thich Nhat Hanh RestorationThat day, whenmuddy paws smudge your jeans,the burger erupts and spattersit only rains as you leave the carwater from the bin lid fills your shoes,no matter how hard you try the marmalade will not come off,always a trace just as butter in a beard,traffic heavy like a…

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Mystery - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Mish is hosting poetics with an invitation to personify an abstraction. For more information follow the link below: dVerse Poets – Poetics – Personifying The Abstract Image by Matthew Anderson from Pixabay “And the mystery sang alive” William Wordsworth MysteryMystery is emanations/he is gentle presencea bolt of silk in a light breezeh/er eyes are dark poolsthough never…

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The Longest Minute - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image by Adina Voicu from Pixabay “I want your kiss to be bonded to my mouth, to my soul, to my body.” Pablo Neruda The Longest MinuteAt the tenth houron the sixteenth dayof the third monthin an auspicious yearit seemed rightfor autumnthat I fall for her,so at five past tenI took her by the handand kissed herjust oncewith aftermath -purest silence and the longest minuteas time…

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Where? - prose by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Merril is hosting Prosery (144 words) where we write a piece of prose (fiction or non-fiction) which must include the line “Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?” from the Poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ by Amanda Gorman. dVerse Poets – Prosery – Finding The Light Photo: mensxp.com “As in what if the shadow is golden?” Rosamond S. King Where? Where can we find light in this…

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(via Mind Junk - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)

My Modern Met

Japan Has a Competitive Sport for Trash Collecting Called ‘SpoGomi'

There should be more sports like this!

Sports have gotten more and more environmentally friendly, whether it's by reducing plastic waste at arenas, or producing medals with recycled materials. But what if the sport itself was devoted to directly helping the planet? Take a look at SpoGomi, a competitive sport in which teams collect garbage and litter within a time limit and specified area. People get to exercise and improve their communities while simultaneously reducing pollution. It's an overall win!

The name “SpoGomi” comes from “sports” and “gomi,” which means “trash” in Japanese. SpoGomi was created in Japan in 2008 as a way to promote trash collecting in an effort to aid the environment and push back on the climate crisis. “The marine litter problem is becoming increasingly serious worldwide,” reads a message from SpoGomi. “Approximately 80% of the garbage in the ocean is said to come from land (cities), and picking up garbage is the ‘last line of defense' to prevent this from happening. By connecting countries and people, we have expanded our circle even further around the world.”

Now, supported by The Nippon Foundation, the sport is so popular that there are competitions around the world, including the first SpoGomi World Cup, which was held in Japan in November 2023. People from 20 countries and all of Japan's prefectures participated, with the UK team coming out in first place.

SpoGomi is more than simply picking up trash, though, as there's a whole set of rules. These game rules are flexible depending on the area and litter to be picked up. Generally, teams are made up of three to five members who have to collect as much trash as possible within a designated area and time limit. The most common duration is an hour for picking up trash plus another 20 minutes to correctly sort it.

Some trash can be extra damaging to the environment or harder to spot, meaning each piece of litter gets a different amount of points. According to Nippon.com, the rules for World Cup regional preliminary rounds have burnable and nonburnable trash at 10 points per 100 grams, cans and bottles at 12 points, and PET plastic bottles at 25 points. The crown jewel of competitive trash picking are cigarette butts, which will get the team 100 points each.

Other rules stipulate that teams cannot pick up trash that is already in bins that belong to someone else. Since everything must fit into the trash bags that are provided, they cannot pick hazardous waste or bulky items either. And since this is meant to improve the local area, any method of transportation other than walking is frowned upon.

In the end, all participants can bask in the pride of making the environment just a little bit cleaner and healthier. Udagawa Takayasu, a spokesperson for The Nippon Foundation, even admits, “I participated in a preliminary tournament held in Japan just last weekend. Although our team could not win and I faced frustration, the city became markedly cleaner. I think it's one of the fascinating aspects of SpoGomi, even if you don't win, it leaves you with a positive sentiment.”

-via My Modern Met, May 20, 2024

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Hell yeah, gamify this shit!