apropos of nothing

CableVerse: Discovery Channel Edition

Robert Frost and friend.Photo: Getty Images/Arnold Newman Collection (Frost); iStockphoto (Chicken)

“Poetry is what gets lost in translation,†wrote Robert Frost. We think Frost would adore the plot synopses on Time Warner Digital Cable’s listings pages. In the spirit of TimesCouplets, we present CableVerse, the found poetry of the cable listings.

Today, the vivid, surreal poetry of the everyday, from the Discovery Channel’s How It’s Made, airing six times (!) on June 13.

9:00 a.m.
Wood burning stoves;
orthoses;
ballet slippers;
buses.

9:30 a.m.
Paving asphalt;
marshmallow cookies.

12:00 p.m.
Alkaline batteries;
wheelchairs;
flutes.

12:30 p.m.
Horse-drawn carriages;
artificial eyes;
cat and dog food.

7:00 p.m.
Pistons;
paint rollers;
parachutes;
chimneys.

7:30 p.m.
CO2 cartridges;
pretzels;
scissor lifts;
skating rinks.

—Christopher Bonanos