Ignus fatuus ... Toothsome

Today's word is ignus fatuus ... Ig-nis fach-oo-uh s ... Something deluding or misleading. (Dictionary.com)

Toothsome 
Halloween's goblins have gone to bed,
The candy's been tested and tried,
The ignus fatuus of costumed heads,
Has revealed little children, shy.

The moon will continue on its path,
The wind and rain blow wild,
But there will be no spooky wrath,
In the dreams of the sleeping child.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Epicedium ... Gospel

Today's word is "epicedium" ... ep-uh-SEE-Dee-uhm... a furneral song; dirge. (Dictionary.com)

Gospel

When all here is done,

No sad epicedium,

Will ring for God's own.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Barghest ... Smile

Today's word is "barghest" ... BAHR-gest ... a legendary doglike goblin believed to portend death or misfortune. (Dictionary.com)

Smile

If faith is strong,

And wisdom true,

It won't matter,

What you go through.

If every shadow,

A barghest holds,

The slightest whisper,

Will make you fold.

Stay in the light,

And sing glad songs,

Right surely triumphs,

Over the wrong.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Jotunheim ... Stones

Today's word is "Jotunheim" ... YAW-toon-heym ... Scandinavian Mythology. the outer world, or realm of Giants; Utgard. (Dictionary.com)

Stones

We must now be strong

and face the Jotunheim.

We are David's sling.

Copyright 2015

Anne Selleck 

Lycanthrope ... Brrr

Today's word is "lycanthrope" ... LAHY-Kuhn-throhp ... a werewolf or alien spirit in the physical form of a bloodthirsty wolf. (Lycanthropy).

Brrrr

Did I see a lycanthrope?

A vampire? Apparition?
Did a skeleton walk by,
Is that tree out of position?

Everything thing in these dark woods,
Seems to creak and groan,
I'm hearing sounds unnerving,
I'm sure that was a moan!

I'll be so glad when this week's over,
And things to normal do return,
And I can walk the woods in peace,
Without a scary turn.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Taphephobia ... over

Today's word is "taphephobia" ... taf-uh-FOH-bee-uh ... Psychiatry. an abnormal fear of being buried alive. (Dictionary.com)

Over

in the dark of Halloween,

You can be overcome,

By fears like taphephobia,

And that is only one.

But in the light of the next day,

When goblins have dispersed,

All that remains are wrappers,

And footprints on the earth.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Tremulous ... oooh

Today's word is "tremulous" ... TREM-yuh-luhs... (Of persons, the body, etc.) characterized by trembling, as from fear, nervousness, or weakness. Timid; timorous; fearful. (Dictionary.com)

oooh

We walked the darkened path,

Timid and tremulous,

It was lit by jack-o-lantern smiles,

The variety amazed us.

We saw cats and creatures,

Spiders hidden in the trees,

Moons and owls carved artistically,

Geometrics meant to please.

Loud children chattered on,

Excited beyond measure,

To identify their favorites,

Each one a new found treasure.

At the end we lingered,

With cider and sweet treats,

An event most memorable,

Where joy and pumpkins meet.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Fugleman ... Follow

Today's word is "fugleman" ... FYOO-guhl-muhn ... a person who heads a group, company, political party, etc., a leader or manager. (Dictionary.com)

Follow
Tempest tossed and lost,
Wayward wandering,
Searching for a path,
Without life squandering.

A light in darkness shines,
Bringing timid hope,
A fugleman appears,
The one to help us cope?

To put faith in one so bright,
Requires eyes to see,
Ears to hear the truth,
A heart where love can breathe.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Convive ... Merry

Today's word is "convive" ... KON-vahyv ... an eating or drinking companion; fellow diner or drinker. (Dictionary.com)

Merry

The best of friends gather,

To share laughter and tales,

Drink in eachother,

On an intimate scale.

To strengthen their bonds,

These convives connect,

On facebooking pages,
With pictured effects.

We change with the times,
In the ways we commune,
So get with your friends,
And howl at the moon!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Skuttlebutt ... Psst!

Today's word is "skuttlebutt" ... Skuht-l-buht ... Informal. Rumor or gossip. (Dictionary.com)

Psst!
Listen to them talk,
The skuttlebutt's amazing,
Where did the truth go?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Kakistocracy ... Rule

Today's word is "kakistocracy" ... kak-uh-STOK-ruh-see ... government by the worst persons; a form of government in which the worst persons are in power. (Dictionary.com)

Rule

There are times in history,

(And some say one is now)

When those who guide and guard us,

Have to power bowed.

If love of country they once had,

It's been replaced by greed,

And a kakistocracy's emerged,

Revolving 'round their needs.

The only antidote to this,

Is for the people to awake,

And speak all their opinions loud,

For their common sake.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Dithyramb ... Topics

The word for today is "dithyramb" ... DITH-uh-ram, -ramb ... any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing. (Dictionary.com)

Topics

And so we watch the ladies talk ... 

(How they listen is another matter)

Over and against each other, their

Words trip and flail in a dithyramb.

Each speaks her mind with upward drifting 

decibels until in confusion they ... Stop.

Wondering where the argument

Has gone and who agrees with whom.

Nevermind. The fun is in the chaos.

On with the show!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Mawkish ... Flash

Today's word is "mawkish" ... MAW-kish ... characterized by sickly sentimentality; weakly emotional; maudlin. (Dictionary.com)

Flash
I can't write this poem,
Without mawkish phrases,
We just lost our dog,
And these are his praises.

His body was long,
As so were his ears,
But short were his legs,
The oven he feared.

His name was Flash,
And he was so slow,
That a walk round the block,
Took an hour or so.

His eyes were the saddest,
of most doggies by far,
But he almost smiled,
For a ride in the car.

He was barky and lazy,
Loyal and true,
It's quieter now,
And sadder too.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Haplography ... Mistakes

Today's word is "haplography" ... hap-LOG-ruh-fee ... the accidental omission of a letter or letter group that should be repeated in writing, as in Missippi for Mississippi. (Dictionary.com)

Mistakes
No perfection lurks in books,
Where punctuation's chancy,
And haplography confuses folks,
In too many phrases fancy.

We still read the things we want,
And muddle through the grammar,
Those little things can't stop us,
Or cause our words to stammer.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Oneiric ... Punt

Today's word is "oneiric" ... oh-NAHY-rik ... of or relating to dreams. (Dictionary.com)

Punt
Some realities,
Seem oneiric ... like touchdowns
At the last second.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Shirk ... Smudge

Today's word is "shirk" ... shirk. to avoid work; duty. (Dictionary.com)

Smudge
There is no place for shirkers,
As the battle wages on,
For good and values moral,
To build a life upon.

Decide your points of honor,
Beyond which you won't go,
The lines of demarcation,
Wherein your life does flow.

All mighty deeds of valor,
Come when clouds are seen,
All mighty acts of courage,
When it's figured what they mean. 

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Ides ... Fall

The word for the day is "ides" ... ahydz ... (In the ancient Roman calendar" the fifteenth day of March, May, July, or October, and the thirteenth day of the other months. (Dictionary.com)

Fall
The ides of March have come and gone,
And now the leaves have turned,
The breezes blow them into whirls,
Then on the ground they're spurned.

For a while this leafy show,
Will amaze us with its hues,
Then naked trees will stretch their limbs,
And shadow snowy fields with blue.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Obstreperous ... Make-believe

Today's word is "obstreperous" ... uh- b-STREP-er-uh s ... Resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly. (Dictionary.com)

Make-believe

They're loud and very funny,

Obstreperous and bold,

They're acting out their fantasies,

They're breaking every mold.

They run with joy and laughter,

Making life up as they fly,

Childhood's a gift of wonders,

Remembered with love's sighs.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Cognoscenti ... Expert

Today's word is "cognoscenti" ... kon-yuh-SHEN-tee ... (Plural) persons who have superior knowledge and understanding of a particular field, especially in the fine arts, literature, and world of fashion. (Dictionary.com)

Expert

The cognoscenti,

May occasionally find truth,

Unexpectedly.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Bromide ... Say

Today's word is "bromide" ... BROH-mahyd ... a platitude or trite saying. (Dictionary.com)

Say
Please be honest with me,
Say what you really mean,
Don't lead me on with lies,
Or leave me in a dream.

All the sad, sad bromides,
That hide our truest thoughts,
Also hide our caring,
And daring what we aught.

So do not fear your feelings,
We need eachother so,
Give all you have with joy,
To others as you go.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Divulgate ... Scope

Today's word is "divulgate" ... dih-VUHL-geyt ... Archaic. to make publicly known; publish. (Dictionary.com)

Scope

What if the secrets got out?
The future, no more mystery,
Would this devulgation change
How we view our history?

Would we sit still, shell-shocked?
As our motives were revealed,
Would the now known price we've paid,
Be worth broken ideals?

Is this, our darkened vision small,
A strange blessing in disguise?
Keeping us honest as we choose,
The paths down which we fly?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Jejune ... uh-oh

Today's word is "jejune" ... ji-JOON ... without interest or significance; dull; insipid: a jejune novel. (Dictionary.com)

Uh-oh

They are not, watching any news.

It seems jejune, they say.

Later, as history repeats,

They'll think, "what's gone astray?"

If we don't fight for freedom,

It will soon be gone,

And we'll be left in darkness,

Remembering it's song.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Tumescent ... Hope

Today's word is "tumescent" ... too-MES-uh nt. pompous and pretentious, especially in the use of language; bombastic. (Dictionary.com)

Hope

Words that float upward,

Full of hot air, like balloons,

Over-the-top a true description,

They roll, and play and tease,

Tumescent and obnoxious,

Carrying nothing in their flight.

The speaker, proud of himself.

Full of himself.

Unaware of his listener's dismay.

They had hoped for more,

For something, meaningful.

For something. But the empty air 
offered nothing.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Parvenu ... Vision

Today's word is "parvenu" ... PAHR-vuh-noo ... a person who has recently or suddenly acquired wealth, importance, position, or the like, but has not yet developed the conventionally appropriate manners, dress, surroundings, etc. (dictionary.com)

Vision
When all times have ended,
And we are changed and bold,
And heaven's come to earth,
A glory to behold,

We will become parvenus,
Graced with bodies new,
We'll need to learn the lessons,
That come with this new view.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Alexithymia ... Solid

Today's word is "ey-let-suh-THAHY-mee-uh ... Psychiatry. difficulty in experiencing, expressing, and describing emotional responses. (Dictionary.com)

Solid

Sitting on an island,

Selfmade, and all alone,

Alexithymia,

A heart made out of stone.

No one can come near him,

He thinks that he can bear,

All the world's trials,

While he's sitting there.

Dispute his outer armor,

Life's goodness may prevail,

Growing stealthily within,

Opening his jail.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Flummox ... Magnify

Today's word is "flummox" ... FLUHM-uh ks ... to bewilder; confound; confuse. (Dictionary.com)

Magnify

Out into space,

Into the heart of the atom,

Flummoxes reason.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2015

Amphigory ... Turn

Today's word is "amphigory" ... AM-fi-gawr-ee ... a meaningless or nonsensical piece of writing, especially one intended as a parody. (Dictionary.com)

Turn
So much silly amphagory,
In trite novels that we read,
Yet the foolishness continues,
Despite the truth we really need.

Look into some serious pages,
For wisdom you can use today,
You will fill with understanding,
A flood of faith will then hold sway.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Atelier ... Colors

Today's word is "atelier" ... AT-l-yey ... a workshop or studio, especially of an artist, artisan, or designer. (Dictionary.com)

Colors
In God's atelier,
Each and everyone's designed,
With his fingerprints.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Melee ... Phew

Today's word is "melee" ... MEY-ley... Confusion; turmoil; jumble.

Phew!
Blocks and dollies,
Cups and plates
Complete with food
Nobody ate.

Clay and pencils,
Balloons blue,
Airless and flat ...
Oh, how they flew.

It's a melee,
That's for sure,
Children move fast ...
They're a blur.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Peripeteia ... Turn

Today's word is "peripeteia" ... per-uh-pi-TAHY-uh, -TEE-uh. a sudden turn of events or an unexpecrted reversal, especially in a literary work. (Dictionary.com)

Turn
In the worlds of story and of truth,
The strangest of events proceed,
And tangle in confusion wild,
Til a peripeteia fills a need.

As the instance when the Son of God,
Found himself upon the wood,
And died to save all of mankind,
All despaired right where it stood.

But the moment did not last,
And soon he was appearing,
And everyone knew right there and then,
The kingdom, it was nearing.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015

Espial ... Peek

Today's word is "espial" ... Ih-spahy-uh l ... The act of spying. (Dictionary.com)

Peek
It seems all countries are involved,
In espial most drear,
To obtain one-upmanship,
And power to them most dear.

If they could just love themselves enough,
And accept their greatest treasures,
They would find enough for all,
And happiness beyond measure.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2015