Yarborough

Today's word is "Yarborough" ... A hand (in Bridge) in which no card is higher than a nine.

Really 
Sometimes things seem askew,
A magic trick fails,
A Yarborough appears in hand,
You lose the lottery ... again,
A hoped for miracle goes wrong,
All seems lost ...
But then, when you least
expect it, a page turns,
and grace abounds.
Around each corner,
with the next breath,
life will surprise ....
Fortunately, faith will
always win the day.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Oeillade

Today's word is "oeillade" ... An amorous glance; ogle.

Sight
Opening to the sun,
colors flagrant,
begging for an oeillade,
forested flowers
begin their morning.

Oh, to have the
humble confidence,
that as you stretch toward day,
God breathlessly waits
for you to open up
your eyes.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Hibernaculum

Today's word is "hibernaculum" ... Winter quarters, as of a hibernating animal.

Curl
In the shadows of a darkened world,
pockets of light shine softly.
If you walk carefully, step by step,
you may notice their glow.
Over rocks and snowfall,
tiptoeing through fog and smoke,
you might hear a sound, a voice say,
"Come and see. "

If you are brave enough to find your way,
you will find the warmth, like fire.
But it will not burn, only calm.
In this hibernaculum, you will
find safety. Something like a home
that you've always longed for,
but were not sure existed.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Quadrille

Today's word is "quadrille" ... A square dance for four couples.

Called
Long ago and far away,
From where I sit anyway,
It's said a baby came,
Around this time, to
Live and bring a
Message to the world.
He did this of his own
Volition, with purpose.
He did this and then,
He died. And rose.
And it continually amazes
And confuses me that this
Is real. That he came
To invite us to a dance,
Not a quadrille that ends
In a moment, but a
Dance into forever and a day.
A dance with God, guided
By the rythm of his love,
The timing of his truth,
And the movements of his grace.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Schmaltz

Today's word is "smaltz" ... Exaggerated sentamentalism, as in music or soap operas.

Cold
Snowflake fall. From a frozen sky
most formidable. Each disquised to look
the same. And at first glance, it could
be true. White, flying crystals. Only
existing for a moment or a day. Made
of water molded mysteriously, their
tempered travels through clouds
resulting in six-sided miracles.
Much has been made of their
uniqueness. We can create
schmaltzy paper replicas for tree
hanging, but they can't compete
with this complexity. And we,
like them, walk about in very
much the same skin, but are
faceted by love. We too
sparkle in the light, for
a moment or a day, and
then dissolve, and
fall, softly to
the earth.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Advent

Today's word is "advent" ... Coming into a new place, view or being; arrival. A perfect word for Christmas Day.

Xmas
Prayerfully grateful.
Our savior is born today;
His advent, our hope.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Jigger

Today's word is "jigger" ... Multiple meanings, here's the one I chose: a person or thing that jigs. (Wiggles up and down).

Flight
I never wondered what angels thought,
'Til I became one in a play,
Of how their lives with awe are frought,
When on errands they fly away.

Have they all been hanging 'round,
Since time began its course?
Where they ever on the ground,
Or do they only fly in force?

What of those during Herod's reign,
That sang the shepherds songs,
Over little Bethlehem plain,
Urging them to see, and come along.

How many eons did they wait
Patiently with wings tucked in,
'Til God his amazing plans made straight,
To turn back the course of sin,

In those finite, fragile hours,
Before the Christ was born,
Did they tremble in their power,
Before the curtained sky was torn?

Had they been singing "glory"
For centuries before,
So that the telling of the story,
Would lack for nothing more?

Did they then jig their awesome wings,
Having stunned the hills with praise,
And smile and a last carol sing,
As they left with Godward blaze?

Did they know the end from the beginning,
As they gloried through the skies,
That they'd announced the cure for sinning,
Because this babe would die and then arise?

I like to think they always knew,
That their Lord would win the day,
And that the holy and the few,
Would seek and find the way.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Parageusia

Today's word is "parageusia" ... An abnormal or hallucinatory sense of taste making it difficult to tell  sweet from bitter or salty from sour.

Hungry
Candy canes and bon bons,
Chocolate by the pound,
Turkey, mashed potatoes,
And pumpkin pie abound.

Dishes full of peanuts,
Cookies, sugared plums,
Ham and jello pudding,
I think I've come undone.

All the foods of Christmas,
Gathered at one table,
Even with parageusia,
We'd eat 'till we're unable.

January first is when
The diet will begin,
And perhaps the pounds will fall away ...
'Til Christmas comes again.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Fiddlesticks

Today's word is "fiddlesticks" ... Used to express impatience, dismissal.

Trouble
It's time for Christmas present,
That exciting time of year,
When children are all sparkly eyed,
And yards are full of reindeer.

Why is it then, just as you need,
Money for gifts and treasures,
The car breaks into pieces,
And takes away your pleasure.

The well pump just stops working,
And you're melting snow to drink,
While the bell ringer at the grocery store
Is guilting you off the brink.

You slip and fall in your own drive,
And break your ankle too,
If anything else happens
You won't know what to do.

It's the season to be merry
Not broken, poor or sick,
It makes a person want to scream,
Drat! Or fiddlesticks!

But there's that baby in the hay
Who grew to be a man,
And promised to be with us,
As part of his grand plan.

So even in the midst of things
That aren't going our own way,
We will have his company,
To give us strength each day.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013 

Solstice

Today's word is "solstice" ... Either of the two times a year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

Black
In this long, dark night, this
seeming solstice, it seems the
pain, the loneliness, will never
end. Candles bright or the
warmth of friends is felt
not at all. Watching the gaiety
of others only makes their
laughter seem more muffled and
far away. No one can understand
the depth of longing for the bliss
of ordinary pleasure. Grief pretends
there is no end to sorrow. But,
deep midnight always gives way
to the light of day, and the deepest cold
surrenders finally to the warmth
of spring.

Anne Selleck 
Copyright 2013

Poultice

Today's word is "poultice" ... A soft moist mass of cloth, herbs, etc. applied hot like a medicaments to the body.

Under
The lake is frozen ...
little mounds of snow scatter
recklessly across its surface and
wild wind crys it's outrage as it
looks for open doors to infiltrate.
Icicles drip into predetermined
shape. The earth creaks underfoot.
Fingers and cheeks turn red,
and beg for a poultice's warmth.
Birds hop on top a fragile crust
barely able to support their weight.
But this forlorn lanscape hides a secret.
Beneath the snow, life is waiting
for the signal that will release
it into spring. But not yet.
Not yet.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Ambulate

Today's word is "ambulate" ... To walk about; to move from place to place.

Lessons
Superstition requires faith ...
To believe that salt over the shoulder,
Or a black cat crossing before you,
Or ambulating under a ladder,
Will affect fate and the way
It deals with you.

To believe that there is a true story
Of the world requires faith as well ...
That there is purpose and reason
And love in this place that refuses
To give itself wholly to us. That we
Are part of something good that
Reaches back to the beginning
And forward to the end of all
Things as we know them.

The difference is the hope
That rises unmistakably
From the lips of sinners become
Saints. Which happens, not of
Their own accord, but by love's
Story soaking into them, like
A soft spring rain resurrects
Bright flowered colors from
Buried bulbs unseen.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Transpontine

Today's word is "transpontine" ... Across or lying on the other side of a bridge.

Unknown
Here by someone else's whim,
we come. But stay by way of our fascination
and curiosity, and are fixed by ties with others
who care for us sometimes to their own
detriment. What can explain that?
And at a point in time unknown to us,
we will travel to a transpontine land.
And what will be there is another
mystery. We only know that we have
been cared for so far, and are promised
a place especially prepared and to
our liking. That is more than enough
for those with faith, to see.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Cathexis

Today's word is "cathexis" ... The investment of emotional significance in an activity, object or idea.

Steady
It's odd to think that God
in his great and mighty goodness,
would choose a people who
wandered away every chance they got.
He had to have known their character.
That time after time he would be
ignored and abandoned and then
slighted for not being who they
they thought he should be.
But his cathexis was, is, those people,
these people, all of us. And every
time we wander away, out of
anger, ignorance or apathy,
he waits. For us to turn. Hoping
that maybe we'll give him
another chance to prove his love.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Klaxon

Today's word is "klaxon" ... A loud electric horn formerly used on cars and trucks; now often used as a warning signal.

Fire
What if there was only winter's cold,
and snow and early darkness. What if
there were no preparations made.
No family journeys over rivers ... or through woods.
No popcorn strung and hung on pine.
No magi visitations. No angelic heralds
weilding trumpets as arresting as a klaxon's sound.
No baby small for marveling shepherds gaze.
No boy to grow into a man and claim us.
And save us. And give us hope.
No reason to repeat the sounding joy.

But, the world does turn upon one
mangered moment long ago. Candles
glow, and trees are tucked inside with
stars and lights and ornamented limbs.
The table's set, and families gather,
bringing gifts and prayers of thanks
for a holy baby born and resurrection.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Misoniesm

Today's word is "misoniesm" ... Hatred or dislike of what is new or represents change.

New
The day dawns. It looks like any other.
Except the sun is overcome
by blowing clouds of snow and
your own cold breath in front of you.

A cardinal you've never seen before
lands on your feeder and stares at
you as if he knows your name and
would keep you company if allowed.

This morning brings an surprize call
from an old friend, or an e-mail from a stranger
begging for money, or a song on the radio
that sounds like nothing you've ever heard.

If you admit to your misoniesm,
you may feel abandoned by the
ground you thought you felt beneath
your feet. Then again, the next moment
may hold a goodness unexpected.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Whitherward

Today's word "whitherward" ... Toward what place; in what direction.

See
They came from sheep-filled fields, quiet, cold,
on the advice of an angeled multitude
that spoke with authority not to be denied,
as the sky opened to a new reality.

The others wandered whitherward
from desert dunes and dusty instruments.
They studied stellar mysteries and
chased a stationary star to its conclusion.

We come to that place as well,
hushed by a history that reveals
a visit we never expected by someone
we never thought we'd see, much less
imagined. It's our chance to anticipate
our redemption and the kingdom come.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Umbriferous

Today's word is "umbriferous" ... Casting or making shade.

Weathered
When little rainstorms come, you run,
seeking shelter where you can. Even though
in all your life, water on your skin did nothing
but wash you clean.

In the summer sun, you hide, looking for
a tree umbriferous, or wait for a cloud
to come between you and that light
so bright it makes you squint.

It seems that a little bit too much
of this or that throws us off ...
causes us to reach for balance,
a handhold, something, someone
we can count on.

This is our dilemma, to
hold our arms out in hopes we
won't fall from the edge, or
step out in confidence, knowing
there is a hand that holds us ...
even when we see nothing
but the sky.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Lipogram

Today's word is "lipogram" ... A written work composed to avoid the use of one or more specific alphabetic characters.

Form
Real or Memorex? Who's on First?
Sometimes life is confusing ... depending
on who you listen to. But you can ignore
the wrong voices if you listen to
the right ones. Voices that come
from the ancient scrolls, from memories
handed down one to the other ... century
after century. From the people who left out
certain letters of the name of God like
a holy lipogram. Because their mouths could
not shape themselves around his name
without turning their lips to flame.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Cusp

Today's word is "cusp" ... A point that marks the beginning of a change.

Pointed
We can't seem to change, not by ourselves.
We try of course, to do a little better ...
every day, in every way ... but our history
disproves our efforts. Just look around.

Sometimes we try not to do something
we know is not in anyone's best interest.
Sometimes we try to prove our
compassion or generosity and then find
it only lasts a moment ... especially
if no one's watching. It seems we're
always teetering on the cusp of new life.
Once in a while though, we come through.
And in our surprise, we can see who we
are becoming, despite ourselves.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Ochlophobia

Today's word is "ochlophobia" ... An abnormal fear of crowds or mobs.

Hide
I've been looking for a spot,
Where I can outside confusions blot,
Where I can sit, be calm and pray,
At any moment of the day.

But it seems that noises win,
And then ochlophobia sets in,
Crowded by my thoughts and dreams,
Even God's not what he seems.

How to achieve a peaceful state,
When worries press against my gate,
And thoughts of the future frighten me,
Is still a curiosity.

But I'll keep looking for the place,
That becomes a holy space,
Where quiet gracefully surrounds,
All who are gently, finally found.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Calorifacient

Today's word is "calorifacient" ... of foods producing heat.

Observed
What power is this that produces stories,
that for all intents and purposes sound,
well, to put it kindly, fanciful?

A talking snake ...
An ark paired full of animals ...
A non-calorifacient bush, burning ...
A man swallowed up into a giant fish ...
A wall that falls by trumpets blown ...
A virgin with her baby ...
A blind man who sees ...
A lame man who walks ...
A dead man who rises ...
A kingdom come, and coming ...

We might just call these fairy tales,
or legends, if they didn't leave us
feeling as if heaven was close by,
breathing in our ears.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Hardihood

Today's word is "hardihood" ... Boldness or daring; courage.


Why
How did he decide,
If he could survive,
The journey into starkness,
The world of all our darkness?

What compassion wild,
Makes one become a child,
To witness mankind's mess ...
Such a tragic wilderness.

Did he ever think,
That the mean cup he'd drink,
And go through tortures slow,
To save us from our woe?

Was heaven on his mind,
When he taught that God is kind,
And that each of us is graced,
As God holds us each in place?

In his amazing hardihood,
It seems he understood,
The task was worth the pain,
For God our love to gain.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Jocose

Today's word is "jocose" ... Given to or characterized by joking.

Strange
Does this world seem incongruous,
As you spy a hippopotamus?
Or the gangly girraffe's long reach,
Or a platapus upon a beach?

Is it odd that birds talk and squeal,
That peacocks parade their tails unreal,
That kittens whirl and pounce in play,
And elephants each other spray?

With all this jocose creativity,
God's humor's displayed for all to see,
His happy, holy, humble mind,
Has done no less with all mankind.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Abiogenesis

Today's word is "abiogenisis" ... Biology: the now discredited theory that living organisims can arise spontaneously from inanimate matter. Spontaneous generation.

How
We're back to the beginning again,
where the first days have just begun,
either by the hand of God,
or by some accidental process of
nature. Abiogenisis seems
the more improbable ... that
from a random stock of chemicals
stirred by a nameless force,
fed into time, an intelligence
would appear to rule the earth.
If the mindless created mind,
it would be a rare accident indeed,
the odds ratcheting into infinity.
On the other hand ...

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Slumgullion

Today's word is "slumgullion" ... A stew of meat, vegetables, meat. A beverage made weak or thin.

Assured
There is an invisible kingdom,
Here where we wake every day,
Where we can take part in things done,
That mark us as part of the way.

This world that we breathe in so near,
Cries out for help and for hope,
For the peace of life without fear,
And secrets used by believers to cope.

It's hard to choose from the slumgullion,
Of thoughts that wash us around,
To believe that one is the whole truth,
And proclaim that's indeed what you've found.

But the peace that you seek lies in part,
When you give up finally with sighs,
Admitting your sorrow of heart,
And releasing the confusion of whys.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Largesse

Today's word is "largesse" ... Generous bestowal of gifts.

Wishes
What do you want for Christmas?
A trick question from the Sunday school teacher.
You're supposed to say the only real present is Jesus.
That's the right answer. That in his largesse,
God gave something, someone so precious
that we cannot do anything but whisper thank you.

But still, we want a real present, something that says
we're important to someone. Something we can hold in our hands.
Something that cost someone a little thought, a little time.

But you see, we are read in our hearts, our very depths.
Thus the gift. The gift we didn't even know we needed.
Until we pulled the paper off, and gasped at its perfection in surprise.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Pokelogan

Today's word is "pokelogan" ... Marshy or stagnant water that has branched of from a stream or lake.

Advent?
It's coming closer.
This Christmas thing.
The necessary music intensifies.
Bells in front of the stores.
Bells in the stores.
Santas appearing in strange places.
     (The wrapping paper and ribbons have been
       lurking since before Thanksgiving.)
This is the pokelogan of the season.
The fresh water, the living water,
     is in the church and the hearts of her people.
And it lives always and forever; though
     there is one day a year when the nearness
     of that water may fill you like a well,
     with tears.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Twain

Today's word is "twain" ... (Not Mark) ... Two.

Witness
Guilt is heavy.
Shame weighs you down.
Makes it hard to breathe,
Causes you to watch your back.
Who knows? What if they find out?
What will happen? Will they still love me?
Should I still love me? Does God?
Even after confession, sometimes
You're not sure it's really gone ...
Like they say, as far as the east is
From the west. Never the twain to meet.
But the horizon has no edge.
Gone is gone. Forever.
So why go off,
Looking for it,
Again?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013

Pilcrow

Today's word is "pilcrow" ... A paragraph mark.

Choices
Breaking loose of old ways,
may bring amazing new days,
but not without the certain pain,
that the changed might count as gain.

Old thoughts are a blanket warm,
and we cuddle, like a baby born
to routine and true comforts given,
unable to be question driven.

But when the realizations rise,
that truth cannot remain disquised,
and pilcrowed spaces open wide,
the best path may be the one untried.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013