Pandurate ... Mountain

Today's word is "pandurate" ... PAN-duh-ret ... Shaped like a fiddle, as a leaf. (dictionary.com)

Mountain
Virgin forest as far as eye can see,
Existing since all time began,
It seemed to me.

Pine-scented breeze wafting warm,
Caressing earth and sky,
Eager for storms.

Pandurate leaves quaking for joy,
As uneven drops touch down,
Their marriage, coy.

This moment is enshrined,
In that place of silent heart,
The memory, mine.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Immix ... Mirage

Today's word is "immix" ... to mix in; mingle. (dictionary.com)

Mirage

Here they come, the rainy days,

The windy gales, the weak rays,

They come immixed with sun and flowers,
Changing by the week and hours.

We can't depend on anything,
To stay for long, until it's spring,
Then we'll pretend that it will last,
'Til we blink and once more, summer's past

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Helpmate ... Share

Today's word is "helpmate" ... A companion and helper, a spouse, anything that aids or assists, especially regularly: this calculator is my constant helpmate.

Share

What would life be like alone,

Without a helpmate or a friend

To lend a hand or sympathetic ear,

Or a card or message send.

With no one around to talk to,

The house would be most still,

With just the cat for company,

And her ignoring you from the sill.

But since we have volition,

We can choose to open doors,

And invite the other in,
To cherish and adore.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Hypogeum ... Hide

Today's "hypogeum" ... Hahy-Puh-JEE-uhm ... an underground part of a building, as a vault. (dictionary.com)

Hide

If you have a secret,

That you'll never tell,

You'll surely want to hide it,

Deep, as in a well.

Or in a hypogeum strong,

Like a chamber of your heart,
Where no other can attain,
It's mysteries or art.

But if there is a tiny chance,
You'll set it free some day,
Then choose a true companion,
Who will keep safe what you say.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Bibliophobe ... Pages

Today's word is "biblophobe" ... BIB-lee-uh-fohb ... a person who hates, fears, or distrusts books.

Pages
He went to school every single day,
He loved to learn and loved to play,
But reading was an awful chore,
Even novels full of lore.

The letters would not come together,
And so he'd stare out at the weather,
And will the clock hands to please hurry,
So he'd no longer have to worry.

This bibliophilia was so bad,
Even reading comics made him sad,
And for all his long, long life,
Led to many kinds of strife.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Iwis ... Drop

Today's word is "Iwis" ... Ih-WIS ... Obsolete ... Certainly. (dictionary.com)

Drop
An early fall day,
Iwis, not the last,
Before the snows,

But a memory
To be revisited,
In the winter dark.

Then, howling wind,
Will make the most cheerful,
Feel a need for fire.

For now sun shines,
Leaves turn scarlet,
And fall burning to our feet.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Chansonette

Today's word is "chansonett" ... Shaun-saw-NET ... French. a little song; ditty. (dictionary.com)

Chansonett
Sing a little song to Jesus,
Sing a little song to the Lord most high,
Sing a little song to Jesus,
Sing a little lullaby.

Yes, he came to save us,
From a place so far away,
Yes, he came to save us,
Sing a little song today.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Nidificate ... Feathered

Today's word is "nidificate" ... NID-uh-fi-keyt ... to build a nest.

Feathered

Any bird can nidificate,

But to built something that's really great,

You'd need a plan to follow.

Leaves, rocks or sticks, you'd have to choose,

And the right spot with perfect views,

So you could keep an eye out.

The size would have to fit you fine,

So that your eggs would all align,

And yet have room to wiggle.

There'd be lots to think about,

Before you could with birdie shout,

Declare your home completed.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2014

Hebdomadal ... Week

Today's word is "hebdomadal" ... heb-DOM-uh-DaL ... Taking place, coming together, or published once every seven days; weekly: hebdomadal meetings; hebdomadal groups; hebdomadal journals. a weekly magazine, newspaper, etc.

Week
In the first creation,
God worked for six long days,
Making for us a place to live,
Out of smoke and haze.

But on the seventh day,
He took a time to rest,
Looked around at everything,
And proclaimed all of it blessed.

We now are hebdomadal,
When to church we go,
To meet our God and praise him,
And feel our spirits soar.

This rhythm is ordained,
So we don't forget,
To give thanks and praise to him,
Whom our hearts have met.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Tantivy ... Open

Today's word is  "tantivy" ... at full gallop; to ride tantivy ... swift; rapid. a gallop; a rush. (used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed. (dictionary.com)

Open
Why, within the scheme of things,
Would anyone decide,
To make a choice to listen to,
What's on the other side?

To strain with all their senses,
To hear a different voice,
Than the one that has so far,
Been their only choice?

A whisper in the heart,
Or tantivy of praise,
Could at any moment,
A new perception raise.

It takes a certain courage,
To brave a whole new world,
But one might be rewarded,
With new realities unfurled.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Galoot

Today's word is "galoot" ...slang. an awkward, eccentric, or foolish person.

Eat

You are just a big galoot ...

If you even gave a hoot,

About what everyone would think,

As you went to eat and drink,

At the very big Buffett,

Located just across the way,

You would not pile up your dinner,

As if you were the biggest winner,

In a contest for free food,

Eating enough for four. It's rude!

You make us turn our heads away,

We'll not eat anything else today!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2014

Pilar

Today's word is "pilar" ... PAHY-ler ... of, pertaining to, or covered with hair. (dictionary.com)

Crawl

One day in the early fall,
A caterpillar on me did call,
His pilared self upon me fell,
I did not take it very well,
And brushed him off.

But later on began to feel,
An itchiness that made me reel,
As I scratched and jumped about,
It made me want to scream and shout,
And so I did.

This went on for near a week,
With bumps upon my rosy cheek,
Then finally it went away,
And I was grateful for the day,
That it was gone.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014
.

Quotha

Today's word is "quotha" ... KWOH-thuh ... Archaic. indeed! (Used ironically or contemptuously in quoting another). 

Gospel

And he said "Go!" quotha!

And they went. All around

the world as they knew it.

Teaching and healing. Saving

and baptizing. Announcing

a kingdom of love. Not law.

A kingdom run on grace, not fear.

A kingdom of new beginnings,

where God again speaks

with his children. It was a

very long time ago, and yet,

and yet, it ripples with truth

and draws us in.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2014

Higgledy-piggledly

Today's word is "higgledy-piggledly" ... In a jumbled, confused, or disorderly manner; heater-shelter. (dictionary.com)

What?
From fashion to recipies or info on Mars.
Or questions regarding constellations and stars.
The mysteries of insects. The bird in my yard.
Tornados, potatoes, and gardening with chard,
Higgledly-piggledly, all over the web,
Google can answer the thoughts in my head.
There's nary a query that goes down in doubt,
When I and my Ipad are around and about!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Ablacate ... Me

Today's word is "ablactate" ... ab-LAK-teyt ... to wean (dictionary.com)

Me

This selfishness is hard to fight,

I'm before myself both day and night,

I want to ablactate myself from me,

To become more than I can see.

All this may be strange to you,

That this is what I want to choose,

To be better tomorrow than today ...

I must give parts of me away.

Some parts that make me feel alive,

But instead cause me to die inside,

God knows what it is that has to go,

(I'm hoping we can take it slow.)

And in the end, when my building blocks,

Are made new by ticks and tocks,

Redemption will be found complete,

And I with joy will be replete.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2014

Flapdoodle

Today's word is "flapdoodle" ... FLAP-dood-l ... Informal. nonsense; bosh. (dictionary.com)

Humpty
Nursrey rhymes are often strange,
With oddities on every page.
Eggs that talk and songs of sheep,
Little blue boys fast asleep.

Girls and boys falling down a hill,
A shoe-worn woman, shouting shrill,
Rocking babies high in trees,
Gingerbread cookies running free.

I prefer the tales of old,
The elephant's child, much too bold,
Little piglet and Winnie-the-Pooh ...
All that flapdoodle. How 'bout you?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Samovar ... Drop

Today's word is "samovar" ... sam-uh-VAHR ... A metal urn, used especially by Russians for heating water. (dictionary.com)

Drop
Water from a jug or stream,
In a tub to make you clean,
Carried from a stream so far,
Or poured out of a samovar,
From a tap or barrel fat,
Emptied from clouds with a loud splat,
Drunk from paper cups in school,
Or lapped with tongue from placid pool,
Carefully culled from glacier melt,
Or in the mist around us felt,
In our very blood and bone,
Baptismal font and living stone,
We feel the primal thirst and dine,
On this, more pure than any wine.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Geep ... Mix

Today's word is "geep" ... the hybrid offspring of a goat and a sheep. (dictionary.com)

Mix
Sometimes you don't know who you are,
When things have gone way, way too far,
In the wrong direction.

The you that you were supposed to be,
Is nowhere around and you can't see,
Where you made a wrong turn.

So, time to get yourself in hand,
And map the roads in this strange land,
Before you meet a deadend.

If you still are feeling geepish,
And afraid that you'll look sheepish,
Try the path less traveled.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Rejectamenta ... Treasure

Today's word is "rejectamenta" ... ri-jek-tuh-MEN-tuh ... Things or matter rejected as useless or worthless. (dictionary.com)

Treasure
She thought it wouldn't matter,
When she gave away her love,
To anyone who'd look her way,
Low down or high above.

She thought when she decided,
That God was surely dead,
From her shoulders weight would lift,
And reason clear her head.

She thought that education,
Was simply overrated,
So lessons she refused to learn,
And mediocrity created.

Then one day she counted up,
Rejectamenta she'd not cared for,
And saw missing from her rubbled life,
All the things she wanted more.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Lorn ... Sinjar

Today's word is "lorn" ... lawrn ... Lost, ruined, or undone. forsaken, desolate, bereft, or forlorn.

Sinjar
In their eyes, fear,
In their limbs trembling,
In their hearts knowing,
Life unraveling.

An ocean away, far,
Running for their lives,
Our sisters and brothers,
Lorn and unprotected.

We are all one here,
On this planet dangerous,
We call out to God,
For resolve and love.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Scaramouch ... Sassy

Today's word is "sacramouch" ... SKAR-uh-moosh ... A rascal or scamp. (dictionary.com)

Sassy
There is a little scaramouch,
That I know quite well,
She's black and fast and happy,
Her boys think she is swell.

She loves her human mommy,
And goes everywhere with her,
On her lap she rides along,
Watching from within her fur.

When she comes to visit,
She bounces through the door,
Flies like a streak across the room,
And barely meets the floor.

She was a sad and lonely pup,
When first she came along,
Now she's a dog with family,
And a place where she belongs.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Pratfall ... Not

Today's word is "pratfall" ... PRAT-Fawl ... a fall in which one lands on the buttocks, often regarded as comical or humiliating; a humiliating blunder or defeat.

Not

Do you fly in your dreams?

Or swim down the halls?

Stand before others,

Wearing nothing at all?

Does your hair stand on end?

Does your skin turn deep blue?

Do your friends all laugh,

And say they don't know you?

Do you run out of money,

Or take a pratfall?

Does your dream dog ignore you,

Whenever you call?

Are you happy to wake up,

And see with relief,

That the world of illusions

Has gone like a thief?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2014

Calvous ... Imagine

Today's word is "calvous" ... KAL-vuhs ... lacking all or most of the hair on the head; bald.

Imagine
Who would choose a turkey,
To be our symbol bold,
To represent a nation?
There is a story told.

Franklin was the one who thought
The turkey would be fine,
Because it was a native,
And would make a fine design.

But the bold and calvous eagle,
Was to hold the place,
That symbolized our greatness,
And won the great bird race!

I can't quite see the turkey,
On our nation's seal,
Holding into arrows ...
But he does make a great meal!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Palabra ... Word

Today's word is "palabra" ... pah-LAH-vrah ... Spanish. A word. (dictionary.com)

Word
If you speak no Spanish,
It would be wise of you,
Not to use "palabra"
When you're spoken to.

Or for that matter any other,
Words which are mysterious,
To people of a different kind,
Which might make them furious

At least take your dictionary,
(Bilingual would be best),
And speak most judiciously,
To prevent a wrongful jest.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Troth ... Years

Today's word is "troth" ... one's word or promise, especially in engaging oneself to marry; faithfulness, fidelity, or loyalty: by my troth; truth or verity: in troth.

Years

It seems that in this day and age,

When one's troth is pledged,

There are not many who fulfill,

The promise to the end.

It's easier to stop trying,

Than to stick it out and fight,

To find a love that's new,

Than struggle through the plight.

But for those who carry on,

And learn how to forgive,

Chances are they'll make it,

As they learn how best to live.

Anne Selleck 

Copyright 2014

Curlicue ... Yummy

Today's word is "curlicue" ... an ornamental, fancy curl or twist, as in a signature. (dictionary.com)

Yummy

Long ago, on special nights,

Our family would go,

For burgers and fries in paper bags,
To a burger joint, you know?

Topping the sign was a little girl,

With a curlicue in her hair,

She was known as the Kewpee doll,

To me she was most rare.

It was a treat in those old days,
To eat away from home,
But we'd better food at Grandma's,
Whose dishes were her own.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Indagate ... Ideas

Today's word is "indagate" ... IN-duh-gate ... Archaic. to investigate; research. (dictionary.com)

Ideas
The way you think the world works,
Can be a curious thing,
Because from your point-of-view,
You'll always hear truth ring.

Everything you've ever learned,
Since you were a child,
Is added all together,
And in your memory filed.

Though this is true, one day you'll find,
Facts that mystify,
Then you'll need to indagate,
To understand your whys.

And when your mind has opened,
To ideas far from yours,
You'll compare and then decide,
Which is an open door.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Pericope ... Deep

Today's word is "pericope" ... Puh-RIK-uh-pee ... a selection or extract from a book. a portion of sacred writing read in a divine service; lesson; lection. (dictionary.com)

Deep

If holy words could change the world.

Then every syllable that sighs,

Would be precious in its place,

And be released with awe and cries.

If every word could change a heart,

Then each pericope in turn,

Would warm a soul to peaceful deeds,

As truth was in its depths unspurned.

When next within your hands you hold,

Those sacred scriptures straight from God,

Feel them radiate their power, 

For this place and the world abroad.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2014

Tintinnabular ... Listen

Today's word is "tintinnabular" ... tin-ti-NAB-yuh-ler. of or pertaining to bells or bell ringing. (dictionary.com)

Listen
In the quiet and the peace,
Of a morning newly born,
Over hilltop is the ringing,
Of a bell, most forlorn.

Then from steeples high above
Common walks of concrete stone,
Comes sweet tintinnabulation,
Sounding, multiplying tones.

Soon the air is filled with joy,
Rung from steel with faithful hand,
Chiming harmony and freedom,
For the grateful in our land.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014

Ursprache ... Numbers

Today's word is "Ursprache" ... OOR-shprah-khuh ... A hypothetically reconstructed parent language, as Proto-Germantic, the ancestor of the Germanic languages. (dictionary.com)

Numbers
In over my head is what I was thinking,
Doing more than I thought I could do,
I was trying my best the details to see,
But it was as clear as Ursprache to me.

Fingers worked to the bone for hours on end,
My eyes crossing from reading fine print,
The boss screaming instructions into my ears,
(At least remotely he couldn't see tears.)

Caught between longing to be on my own,
And the need to feed husband and kids,
I buckled down with my might, the problems to solve,
Knowing I could survive with resolve.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2014