Phantasmagoric

Today's word in "phantasmagoric" ... having a fantastic or deceptive appearance.

Hallow
Some nights are made for fantasy ...
A full orange moon speckled with bat silhouettes,
leaves dancing 'round costumed children,
the smell of smoke wafting house to house.
Phantasmagoric shapes running from treat to treat,
happily sampling along the way.
It doesn't last long, this frenzied feeding,
except in memories of childhood gone by.
Still, spirits linger, in dreams of night and day,
acting as if they have weight and can
change our world of substance solid.
We know better, yet turn and look behind us
just in case we are mistaken. In these moments,
it's good to remember whose we are and
to whom we trust our souls.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Obsequy

Today's word is "obsequy" ... funeral rite or ceremony.

If
Could we have an obsequy for death?
The death of war and sickness
incomplete ideas, insults and intolerance,
cruelty, torment and in general,
man's inhumanity to man.
The death of gossip and gluttony,
lying, greed and slander?
No more political expediency,
mediocre medicine, poisoned food,
scary neighborhoods, expensive gas,
institutions full of uncaring people,
injustice, pride, narcissism,
incompetent service, shoddy products,
thievery, slavery, children being used.
And closer in, that desire that follows
you around prodding you to do what
you don't want to do or preventing you
from doing what you know you should.
There will be no funeral for any of
these things until we die to self. Then
the awakening will begin.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Crepuscule

Today's word is "crepuscule" ... twilight; dusk.

Twilight
Winter's night comes early; deer forage cautiously
   through the crepuscule, their dark coats blending
          with trees the color of soot.
Wind blows in and around roots ... tossing leaves
      carelessly, as if they were not the treasured remains
          of a thousand sunlit hours.
The last light in the darkening sky fades. Wispy clouds
     scud weightless over disappearing orange as translucent
           as a shell held before a flame.
Shadows settle. Night birds call, confirming life
     vibrant in it's invisibility. The hours until daylight
          are filled full.
These things will happen as we dream. When we
     wake to sun slanting through the window,
          the night birds will sleep in peace.
       
Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013
       
       
   

       
       
       
   



       

Somnambulism

Today's word is "somnambulism" ... Sleepwalking.

Rest
It's all about walking around with our eyes open,
    But more ...  about paying attention. Because it turns out
you can walk for years and not see anything at all.
     Like a somnambulist, you wander along and speak, but later
when life wakes you up at last, you have no memory
     at all of where you've been or what you've done.
All that time might as well have been spent comatose
     for all the difference it's made to you or the world.
Don't you think it's time for all of us, sleepers, to wake up ...
     to stretch and blink and breathe in each day's real-life dreams?
Maybe if we burned with every bush aflame and rose anew
     from within each rainbowed flood, we could again stand
           amazed before the wonders that have been, until this moment,
               hidden by own hands before our eyes.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Phrenology

Today's word is "phrenology" ... A psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief of certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configuration of the skull.


Topology

There is a sort of science, at least that's what they say,
Where one's cranium's examined for the type of it's terrain.
The practitioner feels his way around the nooks and crannies there,
To check results against his chart; match what's beneath the hair.

And then when all the facts are in, a reckoning is made,
As the subject's attitudes and traits, against the bumps are weighed.
When all the mysteries are plumbed, and personality revealed,
Presumably the pain will end and the patient will be healed.

In our lives the road is often full of rocks and trees down blown,
The way that they're handled shows how our characters are honed.
But God's the one who pokes and prods, to point out what's gone awry,
It's up to us to meditate and analyze the whys.

When our judgement comes at last, the bumps won't even matter.
The struggles that consumed us and sometimes caused our faith to shatter,
Will be remembered in the mystery of God's new kingdom interlaced;
As grace-filled crossroads on our journey, opening to sacred space.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Kelpie

Today's word is "kelpie" ... A water spirit, usually having the shape of a horse, reputed to cause drowning, or to warn those in danger of drowning.

Listen
I hear there are spirits roaming, in the wood today,
Some are surely hopeful, helping lost ones find their way,
Others like the kelpie, have no such good intent,
They are the malevolent, and are to evil bent.

Good will triumph in the end, the story's all but writ,
But in the midst of trouble, it's harder to admit,
That in the blight around us, live amazing signs,
That should we confidently seek, we're promised we will find.

A flower through a sidewalk crack, stubbornly appears,
A man bent with sorrows years, reveals a smile for tears.
Somewhere a slave is finally freed, and his scars are healed,
The world for him is opened, and his future is unsealed.

Oh the joy that waits for those, who trust in God's good grace,
They will be filled and overcome by glimpses of his face.
And as the world turns in it's course, around the sun with glory,
The sons and daughters of our Lord, do live His ancient story.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Yoho

Today's word is "yoho" ... Used as a call or shout to attract attention.

Now
Yoho! It's a new day. I wonder what it'll bring?
Snow and wind and rain, or a song to sing?
You never quite know, do you, what's around the bend,
Each moment comes on whispers, to which you might attend.

Sometimes they pass by silently, you hardly know they've come,
Leaving only ghostly footprints, to mark what they have done.
Or they appear with crash and bang, enough to wake the dead,
And forgetting is impossible, because of where they've led.

Looking back it seems as if, time has swallowed whole,
Oceans, lakes and rivers, of hours broken on it's shoals.
We can recall with video, or faces on the wall,
But most are gone forever, beyond our crying, or our call.

So, how to slow this maddening pace and reflect upon our state,
How to savor all that comes calling daily at our gate,
How to learn to take a breath and open up our eyes,
To mark each inhale precious, with gratefulness and sighs.

Practice makes us perfect, as we hold out open hands,
Allowing and observing ... making no demands,
Feeling all the shapes and edges as they come in line,
Cradling each and every one, gracing full our time.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Bequeath

Today's word is "bequeath" ... To dispose of (especially money or property) by last will.

Keep

Don't you think it's strange, this thing we're called to do,

To leave everything behind, so we can enter something new?

This embracing skin we're in, will someday turn to dust,

In the meantime we decide, what gods will earn our trust.

There's one for popularity, there's even one for fame ...

For those who want the world to know the radiance of their name. 

There's one for power in places high or even stations low,

All things seem to come to those to whom this favor flows.

There's a god for those who choose to chase the glow of gold,

But never enough pockets, to hide all that they hold.

Some believe that fashion's whims will fool the gullible,

Who think that mere updating, will change what's not quite done.

And some think that doing right, builds up their sacred score,
As one by one deeds turn to stars, so their crown will have more.
And that in God's economy, perfection's the best measure,
That the goal is to become a self-made, graceless treasure.

Despite the lure of all these things, there's nothing that remains

To bequeath to those who wait, for their turn at the grave,

Save the love which only comes, through great sacrifice,

And unseen, bears all the cost, for the might-haves of our lives.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2013

Falderal

Today's word is "falderal" ... mere nonsense, foolish talk or ideas.

Standoff
Just a bunch of falderal; so much silly nonsense,
We fight on with tooth and claw, trying not to take offence,
Yet we choose which side to back and stand in the impass,
Sure that we're right, and that our point will be the point that lasts.

Why is it hard to care about what's in the other's heart?
Their passions are as sure as ours and just as much a part
Of emotions deep and wide, that guide each waking thought,
Each long ago decided into which belief they bought.

It takes two to tango, at least that's what they say,
If that's true, then maybe two will have to save the day,
By looking at each other with a compassion new,
We can finally sort out what is false and what is true.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Chattel

Today's word is "chattel" ... A moveable article of personal property.

Things
Look at all the stuff we've got,
In closets, rooms and basements,
Sometimes even far away,
In storage sheds with payments.

This chattel lives in drawers and bags,
On shelves and trunks of cars,
There seems to be no end of things,
Hidden in vaults and jars.

In piggy banks and wallets fat,
We stash paper, checks and coins,
And sparkly jewels hang from wrists,
By gold together joined.

But if you were to an island sent,
And could only take one thing,
And had to pick from all you have,
What would you choose to bring?

Would it be something tangible,
That might in months decay,
Or would you take a person,
To talk with you each day?

As we pick and choose between,
Things expensive, dear or cheap,
How do we finally decide,
What's beloved enough to keep?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Analysand

Today's word is "analysand" ... A person undergoing psychoanalysis.

Issues
Taken in by promises, taken up by greed,
Taken down by our mistakes, taken with our need,
Overwhelmed by circumstance, lost on darkened streets,
We recognize we need some help to untangle problems deep.

So, where to turn for solace, understanding, help or hope,
Who to choose to keep us whole, give us keys to help us cope,
Who can we trust enough to dare to tell the truth most strange,
To whom become an analysand; with whom to engage.

A friend most fiercely loyal, might be a place to start,
Where we know we're safe with the secrets of our hearts.
Or a teacher great and wise in this world's scary calculus,
Or a saint who'll calmly sit and God's point of view discuss.

We might our own counsel keep, until we begin to see,
That a view from a greater distance, might more objective be,
Or we could confide in one another, believing that to share,
Will lighten all our burdens as we one another bear.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Ennoble

Today's word is "ennoble" ... elevate in degree, excellent, or respect.

Whose
What is man that thou art mindful
Of our fumbling foibles or our fears?
With galaxies to play with and stars to constellate,
What could our small lives mean to you?

Looking in at us, do you not grow weary,
Of forgiving the same sins which endlessly process?
Do you grow hopeless watching as we rise and fall,
Even after you have given every grace?

This is how I know you are not like me,
That even when imagination soars, I cannot think
What it would take to hold it all in place ...
All of us run amok like broken clockwork.

Amazingly, though we're not ennobled,
By our high thoughts or our holy deeds,
A city is being readied and will come down,
With magnificence far beyond our understanding.

It will be real and made for us to prosper,
And we will be given what we need to live with you,
Because of your unrelenting love for us and promise.
And there's nothing we can do to stop this wonder.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Shoal

Today's word is "shoal" ... Palace where a sea, river or other body of water is shallow.

Suited
Do you tip-toe along the shore, where the water's shallow?
Or dive right in, with a grin, daring waves to swallow?
Some think it fun to jump and run right into something scary.
Others find they'd rather hide, having feelings that are wary.

Starfish and urchins in the shoal are a special treasure,
Deeper out, the porpoise shout, with joy beyond all measure.
Perhaps sticky legs and beasts that dig are suited best for pools,
While those with speed and tricky deeds need a different set of rules.

It's curious how seriously these creatures choose their habitat,
As if they know, that to grow, they need a bit of this and that.
We could learn, as we yearn to become someone who stands out,
To match our wits to things that fit the talents we have no doubt about.

Anne Selleck 
Copyright 2013

Aureole

Today's word is "aureole" ... a radiance surrounding the head or the whole figure in the representation of  a sacred personage.

Shining
In your ordinary hours, have you ever seen,
A saint, real or imagined in the daylight or a dream?
Whose actions speak more loudly than any word well said,
And on whom glory shines like an aureole round their head?

Maybe he was not obvious, when he first appeared,
Maybe you'd not noticed him, without a long white beard.
Perhaps his garb was like your own, not white or spun of beams,
And yet somehow his visage was more than what it seemed.

Was it when he showed up suddenly at the hospital that day,
When he prayed for healing and you saw pain go away,
Or when he took the time to look a small child in the eye,
As if he was important too, just like you or I?

Sometimes in the market line he talks to one who's near,
Frazzled by life's burdens; it's written on her face so clear.
Or taking time to help someone, who's brain's not up to snuff,
With patience sincere and infinite, even when he's heard enough.

We all could, I suppose, attempt that holy way of being,
It would take a lot of practice and a whole new way of seeing.
And concentration to the expense of things in which we're mired,
That's why saints are saints and we are by commonness attired.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Blowzy

Today's word is "blowzy" ... having a ruddy complexion; disheveled in appearance.

Fall
A day of rain and blowing leaves,
Cold and cloud-full, leaking sadness,
Nothing to cheer or warm the soul,
Just blowzy forest, running wild.

Maybe tomorrow there'll be sun,
And happy children running free,
And maybe red-orange fire will shine,
Around bare trees whose fire has died.

This season is of contrasts made,
By turns joyous or depressed,
I find myself caught in this fight,
Between restless darkness and the light.

I suppose I have a choice to make,
Of where I'll hold each moment's gaze,
And where my memory will cling ...
Which heart song, hallowed, will remain.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Pinion

Today's word is "pinion" ... A bird's flight feathers or wing.

Grounded
Hidden from evil,
Pinion covered shield holds fast,
Safe inside I sigh.

Save
Pinions of my God
Mercifully wrapped 'round my sin,
Save me from myself.

Air
Grace breathes all around,
Love in pinioned beauty flies,
Resurrection, come!


Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Arraign

The word for today is "arraign" ... To call or bring before a court to answer to an indictment.

Court
What if all things we do are judged,
And we are in the dock, arraigned,
And no matter how we try to fudge,
Our guilt runs on ahead like fame.

So what's the chance that we will win,
With mounds of evidence against us?
We stand burning with chagrin,
Because the way we got here's just.

Then our defender comes along side,
With a secret defense sure,
And stands in our place to defy
All charges with a motive pure.

Who would have thought of this surprise,
At this late date, this final hour?
That all of us would finally rise ...
We'd no idea of his power.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Solipsism

Today's word is "solipsism" ... The theory that only self exists or can be proved to exist.

Isolated
My world is me and I and mine,
And because I'm it,
I think that all my thoughts are fine.
And yours? I've let you fit in.

About everything I'm sure I'm right,
And because I've made you real,
It seems you'd have more insight,
And agree with what I feel.

Maybe all's not what it seems,
And now I think I'm stuck,
Is this solipsism just a dream,
Something I, myself made up?

I seem to be most circular,
In this pesky reasoning,
If I could just talk to you,
You might a new truth bring.

But how can I, within my space,
Trust what you see in yours?
As I look into your smiling face
And your open doors.

OK. This once, I'll take a chance,
And reach a little further out,
Please don't refuse this chance to dance,
I might be coming round about.

A vision here I see with you,
As you show your side of things,
It really makes more sense as two,
I'm grateful for your offering.

I'm not completely sure just yet,
If this idea's winning,
But since you've helped me hedge my bet,
I'll mark it, a beginning.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Trepan

Today's word is "trepan" ... A trap or a person who ensnares others.

Oops
Snap! You're going about your own business
when, suddenly you lose your footing. It's not
as if you weren't warned, balanced as you were,
precariously on that tippy bit of ground.

And those who had gone before said to watch out
for the trepan ... they knew it was there and they
tried to warn you. But you wouldn't listen because
you'd been down that road before and had had no trouble.

So you thought you were stronger and trickier.
It seemed so obvious. When you took that
step, the fall was an embarrassed surprise
and a disappointment. You'd been so sure.

You thought you'd learned from your mistakes,
that you were smarter and better than all that.
And yet, here you are again, with dirt on your
clothes and up your nose. Impossible.

Now what. Everyone saw. You can't pretend
it didn't happen. So, you push yourself
back into an upright position. And it seems
as if no one is really paying attention to you after all.

In fact, you start to notice little specs of
dirt and blades of grass clinging to the rest
of them. Someone brushes mud from your arm.
Your job, it appears, is to carry on together.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Promulgate

Today's word is "promulgate" ... To make known by public declaration, to publish.

What!
As fast as Facebook, that's what we need, something
Instantaneous to get the Word out! The Good News!
That God is first of many and all things, love!
That his kingdom is here and now!

Something as powerful as a pyrotechnic finale!
As enormous as a comet's tail setting fire to the sky
Lighting the night in perpetual bursts of joy,
Promulgating the story far and wide!

Blaring louder than a million megaphoned prophets
Shouting at the top of their lungs ...
"The End is near! And so is the Beginning!
Repent! Open your eyes to the hope of the world!"

As surprizing as a whale breeching next to your canoe,
As amazing as a volcano blowing its extraordinary lid!
As astounding as the big top from the very first row!
This is urgent news we have to tell! Run!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Snollygoster

Today's word is "snollygoster" ... A clever, unscrupulous person.

Sneak
Wounds are caused by many things,
Sticks and stones and words gone bad.
Sometimes an unintentional act or accident
That invites pain to come, settle in and stay.

But then imagine there are snollygosters ...
Yes you heard me right ... Shysters and
Sly villains who do exactly what they want,
While they pretend to have your best at heart.

Who take and fake and make things
Turn out for their advantage ... yet feel no
Twinge of conscience and no sympathy
For the devastation left in their wicked wake.

This question is then for the rest of us ... What
To do. About them, or for ourselves. It matters
What we think and why we think it. It
Matters that we remain innocent somehow.

To take revenge is to become them.
To accept them is to condone and to
Go along is to increase their hold. To
Confront is impossible without a fight.

Is this the time then to forgive, turn
The other cheek, or walk an extra mile or more?
Even if there is no hope for resolution
And maybe the promise of more pain?

So much is asked, and yet there is
Precedence ... Ghandi, Teresa, King,
Malala, Jesus. Examples and a Savior.
Patterns of courage, a map and a way.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Annulate

Today's word is "annulate" ... Having rings or ringlike bands. I think I must have lost my mind on this one and used the wrong word! Here's the fix. That's what happens when you're working with a root canal hangover!!

Garden
How did this start, this downward slide.
With an annulated serpent as they say?
Was it he who caused opposites to collide
And set the scene for God's own play?

However it happened, this long ago scheme,
We now deal with its truth revealed,
And every day remember the theme,
That even in darkness, God's love is our seal.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Obverse

Today's word is "obverse" ... The side of a coin, medal, flag, etc. that bears the principal design ... Opposite of reverse.

Flip
There's a side we see, of life,
Of every tactile thing,
The part that's obviously here,
Where we're sure that truth and glory cling.

But underneath the heads-up side,
Lies another, holy and unseen,
Where the invisible seems to hide,
Though shining sometimes inbetween.

So is the obverse, where we live, true reality?
Or is that back on the reverse, the side we cannot see?
Where you put your guess, is where your life will be.
A choice whose consequence, might ring eternally.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Tittup

Today's word is "tittup" ... An exaggerated prancing, bouncing movement or manner of moving.

Different 
Platapus, sloths, giraffes and ponies,
Galumph and ooze and tittup,
Variety is the way of this world,
And nothing about it's phony.

With people too, strangeness rules,
Personalities are various,
But we're libel to make others laugh,
With criticisms leveled cruelly.

A look in the mirror will surely reveal
Our own deficits and bruises,
And we know we could be targeted too,
And can guess how that might feel.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Picaro

Today's word is "picaro" ... A rogue or vagabond.

Roguish
On the outskirts of society, balanced on the edge,
Or hiding out for dear life, under rocks along the ledge,
Are the hobos and the renegades, the picaros and the fools,
Those we won't hang out with because we are too cool.

We've worked so hard to cultivate our image and our style,
Our characters and faces with sophisticated smiles,
Our nods of understanding, and knowledge deep and wide,
Our holy comphrehensions that fill us up with pride.

It's just easier to hang out with those who love us best,
And ignore the helpless eyes staring out from all the rest.
We do not know their circumstance and they have no names,
So how could we then realize, we're not different but the same?

That their hearts beat with longing for comradery and friends,
For kindness, understanding, and a love that's not pretense;
If we truly offered this, what more could we then say,
Since every action offered, would be a way to pray.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Malign

Today's word is "malign" ... To speak harmfiul truths about. To speak evil.

Bad
Please don't malign me. I've got enough problems
The way things are. Don't you? Why should we
Make things worse for each other? It seems
We should do the opposite.

Speak well of one another. Lift each other up.
Find the the good, the beautiful, the wonder
And the uniqueness that lies within us all.
Just look a little more carefully. It might be fun.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Whirligig

Today's word is "whirligig" ... Something that whirls or spins.

Twirl
The wind spins windmills, pinwheels,
whirligigs. Colors fly. Wings dance.
Birds are born on invisible breath; clouds
Swirl, funnel, form into phantasmagoria.

So we are spun by Spirit, invisibly moved,
Never knowing source or destination, but
Carried aloft like milkweed taken from its teardrop bed,
Laden with purpose, testing the currents ... letting go.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Bluestocking

Today's word "bluestocking" ... A woman with considerable scholarly, literary or intellectual ability or interest.

Learn
See all the Marys sitting at the feet of Jesus?
The women who want to come close
To the origin of truth and to understand ...
Who ask question after question ... bluestockings.

Including why their passion, ability
And intellect should not be used to
Guide, direct, and help bring the
Kingdom of God into this world

We should pay attention to the way
In which Jesus treated the women
Who followed and the women who
We're encountered by him.

The sick were healed, even one too
Unclean to touch; they were engaged
In conversation, even one too shunned
To speak with her own kind.

One was shown compassion, outrageously
Given back a son who was dead; one was
Allowed to wash the feet of the master
With hair unbound ... a scandal.

And, because of him, one ancient one was
admired for her generosity for generations.
In his day, Jesus lifted up the marginalized,
The forgotten, the women ... for all time.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Hoosgow

Today's word is "hoosgow" ... Jail

Solitary
Some say only a very few of us will live this life
Well enough to find in the end, a heavenly home.
And that the rest deserve whatever they get ...
A trip to the eternal hoosgow, or worse.

But that is mistaking good deeds and laws,
For what really matters in the eyes of God ...
A gladdened attitude of heart that
Proves ones love and gratitude.

Do we really think that we can, holy
Bootstraps in hand, pull ourselves out
Of the mire we've created? Or should we
Instead accept the graceful hand extended?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Emanate

Today's word is "emanate" ... To flow out, issue from, proceed from a source

Word
I've said the Words. I am redeemed.
A person reborn .... fresh and new and
Loved in the heart of God.

And yet, as forgiven as I am, and new,
A battle rages still ...
Between the best and glorious things
And the lure of the others, sinisterly shining
With the gold of fools or the
False lights of selfishness.

I'd like to think that every time I chose,
I would allow my choice to be
Guided by that spirit emanating
From the holy place that holds all good.

Being fallen though, I know I'll fall.

But, even in that helpless place, there is
Grace, descending like the dove at
The baptism of the Son ... whispering
That there is another chance and then
Another, to experience redemption.

As if grace on grace on grace is what it takes
To catch the unending flood of tears
That fall from all our eyes when
We finally know that we are held in the
Completeness of a love that has no end.

We should then, be more gentle with each other ...
When we're hurt, confused or disappointed by those
Who travel with us on this road. And
Recognize that redemption is not
Equal to perfection ... that none of
Us can wholly see the way ahead,
Or holds a map with all the x's marked.
And no one yet has traveled without
Tripping on the stones along the path.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Loblolly

Today's word is "loblolly" ... A mire; mud hole.

Dirty
Into the loblolly and out again
Seems to be the way of man.
Somehow no matter how hard we try,
Things just seem to go awry.

We don't always do the things we should
And then do things that are no good,
Our acts go wrong despite our will,
And the going seems to be all uphill.

So what can change this unfortunate course,
And bring us closer to our source?
Help us to see what makes us tick,
Keeps us well or makes us sick.

Perhaps in silence we'll finally find,
How we can become more naturally kind.
And always by God to be forgiven,
As gratefully into his arms we're driven.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013