Atonement ... Oh

Today’s word is “atonement” ... uh-tohn-muh-nt ... satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends. (Sometimes initial capital letter) Theology. the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ. (Dictionary.com)

Oh

Once there was a man who thought,

He had no sin at all,

In fact, he thought that he alone,

Was exempted from the fall.

As he looked about, he saw,

Others with faults galore,

Selfishness and gluttony,

He could name all those, and more.

In good conscience he could not,

Atone for what he lacked,

Instead, he watched the others,

For which he had a knack.

Then one day He realized,

The motes which he had spied,

Had lost their definition, 

From the board stuck in his eye.

So he bent his knee in sorrow,

And pledged with an open heart,

To look for good in others,

Which was at least, a start.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Lonely-hearts ... Encircle

Today’s word is “lonely-hearts” ... Lohn-lee-hahrts ... of or for people seeking counseling or companionship to bring love or romance into their lives. (Dictionary.com)

Encircle

Souls yearn and pine for a safe space,

Where all’s accepted with pure grace,

Where foibles vanish into mist,

Far from that cloistered, joyful place.

And so they go a-wandering,

To lonley-hearts clubs and beyond,

Searching for that one true love,

With whom they’ll have a forever bond.

Then many nights and days are spent,

Checking the yes’s and the no’s,

Measuring for personality,

But the process seems so slow.

Meanwhile, in truth, God sits and waits,

Readied mercies great, unnumbered,

For his children to come back to him,

Unashamed and unencumbered.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Pangram ... Abound

Today’s word is “pangram” ... pan-gruh m ... a sentence, verse, etc., that includes all the letters of the alphabet. (Dictionary.com)

Abound

If we could see clearly,

     all the meanings in our day,

In every moment and encounter,

     within each look or sigh,

We might become aware of stirrings

     which lie close, breathing softly,

          even speaking urgently.

Their whispers are most often dampened,

     drowned out by human sound.

And yet, they call, and warn, and excite,

     using the pangram of intuition ...

          all her wiles and ways rolled into

                 a feeling or an unbidden thought.

If we were a bit more patient. Willing to

     listen. Aware of the help close at hand ...

We might be surprised by all the serendipities

     which would appear before us.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Aggiornamento ... Debate

Today’s word is “aggiornamento” ... the act of bringing something up-to-date to meet current needs. (Dictionary.com)

Debate

When we need aggiornamento,

For this one thing or that,

A committee must be formed,

To put ideas in a hat.

Then we pull one out of there,

And let debate begin,

The one with strongest arguments,

Should be the one that wins.

That’s the best that we can do,

Compromises must be made,

And we’ll one step forward, one step back,

Until the piper’s paid.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Sobersides ... Smile

Today’s word is “sobersides” ... soh-ber-sahydz ... Slang. a humorless or habitually serious person. (Dictionary.com)

Smile

Have you ever known someone,

Who would never laugh?

No matter all the funny jokes,

Pratt falls, or silly gaffes?

These sobersides often refuse,

To show happiness at all,

As if the point of all of life,

Is remembering the fall.

“Lighten up!” I want to say,

“Have you not heard of grace?

I think that if you have my friend,

You should show it on your face!”

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Monticule ... Gaze

Today’s word is “monticule” ...mon-ti-kyool ... a small mountain, hill, or mound. (Dictionary.com)

Gaze

From the monticule,

We see the edge of our world,

Yet the stars beckon.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Tittle ... Critical

Today’s word is “tittle” ... tit-l ... a dot or other small mark in writing or printing, used as a diacritic, punctuation, etc. (dictionary.com)

Critical
A tittle is a tiny thing,
Unnoticed ‘til it’s gone,
Yet it makes a difference,
In English when it’s wrong.

Once there was a promise made,
That every dot of law would stay,
Though new signs and wonders,
Had begun a brighter day.

This space and time are holy,
And connected to the past,
Each good deed that’s done with love,
Will be what finally lasts.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Tattersall ... Spin

Today’s word “tattersall” ... tat-er-sawl ... a pattern of squares formed by colored crossbars on a solid-color, usually light background. (Dictionary.com)

Spin

All the patterns that we make,

Are predictable and plain,

At least the tattersalls and plaids,

That horsemen wear down lanes.

But nature's plans stun and surprise,
Few right angles to be found,
Where intricacies and wonders,
Everywhere abound.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Deciduous ... Heat

Today’s “deciduous”... dih-sij-oo-uh s ... shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs. (Dictionary.com)

Heat

This is a strange fall.

     The sun is beating down

          with a vengeance,

Brown, crunchy grass holds

     first fallen leaves,

And the acorns are attacking!

     Pelting us, like hard, brown rain.

It’s almost as if the weather itself,

     is hanging on for dear life,

          like a dying cancer patient.

Even so, as the deciduous forest 

     keeps time leaf by leaf, 

          we feel the coming of winter,

               in our bones.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Polyhistor ... Baa

Today’s word is “polyhistor” ... pol-ee-his-ter ... a person of great and varied learning. (Dictionary.com)

Baa

Come one, come all,

To the festival,

Where all opinions speak,

Polyhistor or small,

Step up on the wall,

With sonorous voice or squeak!

Wouldn’t you say,

It’d be an amazing day,

If this were really true.

All would be heard,

Even disparaging words,

(Though it would make some blue.)

For you know now,

If some were cowed,

We’d all be like sheep,

And as we’d graze,

In a word haze,

We might as well be asleep.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Shofar ... Blow

Today’s word is “Shofar” ... Shoh-fer ... a ram’s horn blown as a wind instrument, sounded in Biblical times chiefly to communicate signals in battle and announce certain religious services on Rose Hashanah and Yom Kippur. (Dictionary.com)

Blow

When the shofar sounds,

They say battle’s on its way,

The warriors amass,

The people bow and pray.

Perhaps before this signal,

We should put our swords away, 

Melt down our spears with fire,

And begin today!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Oceanicity ... La Mer

Today's word is "oceanicity" ... oh-shuh-nis-i-tee ... the degree to which the climate of a place is influenced by the sea. (Dictionary.com)

La Mer
In the little village,
Nestled by the sea,
Gulls cry in weary fervor,
As they skyward flee.

The breeze is soft and salty,
Boats bob restlessly,
Waiting anxious there for captains,
To untie, and set them free.

As the ships are to their harbor,
In their oceanicity,
So we to God's fair city gaze,
And for his mercy plead.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Clandestine ... Hide

Today's word is "clandestine" ... klan-des-tin ... characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious. (Dictionary.com)

Hide
Why clandestine acts?
Truth climbs walls and lights candles,
Revealing all things.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Masscult ... Influence

Today's word is "masscult" ... mas-kuhlt ... the forms of culture, as music, drama, and literature, as selected, interpreted, and popularized by the mass media for dissemination to the widest possible audience. (Dictionary.com)

Influence

If you're not on twitter,

And don't appreciate new songs,

If this masscult leaves you cold,

And Facebook just seems wrong,

You might need an intervention,

To fit in with the human race,

Or if you're smart and strong enough,

Live in your true created space.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Cervine ... Dusk

Today's word is "cervine" ... sur-vahyn ... resembling or characteristic of deer; deer like. (Dictionary.com)

Dusk

I miss their graceful beauty,

Glimering through the trees,

A hoof, an eye, an antler,

Hidden in a wooded sea.

Stepping slowly out, they pause,

Sifting sounds from wayward breeze,

Curious, wary, all at once,

Moving with contemplated ease.

Wise as serpents, innocent as doves,

We too with cervine caution live,

Watching behind, around, before,

For signs which events and portents give.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Sensorium ... Drown

Today's word is "sensorium" ... sen-sawr-ee-uh m ... a part of the brain or the brain itself regarded as the seat of sensation. (Dictionary.com)

Drown

Sight, scent, sound, touch, taste,

Flooding the sensorium

So many feelings.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Mickle ... Sage

Today's word is "mickle" ... mik-uh l ... Archaic. great; large; much. (Dictionary.com)

Sage

Would it seem so very strange,

To say in this day and age, 

"Many a mickle makes a muckle,"

Meaning, to save your wage?

"Big things come in packages small,"

Is also wisely spoken,

To those who use only size to measure,

And think tininess a token.

"A bird in the hand is worth much more,

Than one who's flown away,"

Should be remembered when treasure's held,

For longer than a day.

Proverbs humor, remind and chasten,

Help make us good and strong,

And if they do their duty,

Even teach right from wrong.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Concatenation ... Beyond

Today's word is "concatenation" ... kon-kat-n-ey-shu n ... a series of interconnected or interdependent things or events. (Dictionary.com)

Beyond
From the Beginning,
     before our beginning,
A great concatenation 
     (most hidden from our eyes)
          has led to this fine moment.
Though we study endlessly,
     the stars and planets, plants and creatures,
          even our minds and selves,
Still, we know nothing of this former opaque state,
     nor can our scientists explain,
          this time before time began.
All of our numbers and calculations are mere theory,
     ideas tossed carelessly about in the vain hope,
          that someone's calculations 
               will become truth.
But the impetus lies hidden,
     as even more questions arise.
Only believers can rest,
     reassured by things they cannot see,
          relayed by their resurrected Lord.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Sinecure ... Grit

Today's word is "sinecure" ... sahy-ni-kyoo r ... an office or position requiring little or no work, especially one yielding profitable returns. (Dictionary.com)

Grit

Is a sinecure appealing,

As you look up from your work,

Harried and annoyed,

Like some junior kind of clerk?

Do you wonder of your dreams,

If they were pie up in the sky,

Or a silly fantasy,

Far from this place wherein you sigh?

Sitting well within your space,

May require fortitude,

As you navigate your days,

With dream-fueled attitude.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Antinome ... Now

Today's word is "antinome" ... an-tuh-nohm ... something that is contradictory or opposite to another; a logical contradiction. (Dictionary.com)

Now

Time is and was and will be,

But what came before?

No one is quite sure of that,

Nor what's behind the future's door.

We're confined in time and space,

And haven't instruments to tell,

Deep shadow from reality,

Or the depth of reason's well.

If within this thinning space,

Antinomes absurd abound,

Still we can hope in promises,

Where peace is finally found.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Vamoose ... Hurricane!

Today's word is "vamoose" ... va-moos  ... Slang. to leave hurriedly or quickly; decamp. (Dictionary.com)

Hurricane!

Vamoose! Vamoose!

Irma's loose! 

And she's wild,

An unruly child!

You can run or hide,

But stay inside,

When her breath you feel,

You'll rock and reel.

Right now, runaway,

There will be a day,

When sun will shine,

And you'll be fine!

Vamoose! Vamoose!

Irma's loose!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Gramarye ... Zap

Today's word is "gramarye" ... gram-uh-ree ... occult learning; magic. (Dictionary.com)

Zap

If fairytales were real,

     and gramarye a force,

Perhaps we'd be ruled by royalty,

     and fight dragons for our entertainment,

          or survival.

Our fate would be in potions, spells,

     signs and symbols broadcast by believers.

Where did this sense of good and evil,

     white and black, arise?

Surely something more powerful

     has been working true magic since

          The Beginning of All Things.

And this something has more power,

     than any mortal dares to dream.

This true magic comes to steal our hearts away

     with love and mercy.

And grants us His life to spread abroad ...

     perhaps the only magic which really matters.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Fossick ... Dim

Today's word is "fossick" ... fos-ik ... Australian. to hunt; seek; ferret out. (Dictionary.com)

Dim

Overwhelmed by bad news,

We face the dawn alone,

Wondering, if by some chance,

There are hearts made of stone.

Which of us can fathom,

The need of greedy power,

The lust for things of this world,

Which abounds in kingly towers.

Within, too, we fossick,

Looking for some grace,

A taste of high and holy things,

To usurp evil's place.

Yet this foraging's not easy,

For even deep within,

Only love's divining,

Can separate from sin.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Whoosis ... Empty

Today's word is "whoosis" ... hoo-zis ... Informal. an object or person whose name is not known or cannot be recalled. (Dictionary.com)

Empty

Blank spots in my memory,

Appear when least expected,

When introducing my best friend,

(I'm sure I'll be rejected.)

I can't just call her "whoosis",

Or mumble soft and low,

In this awkward situation,

I just want to up and go.

But if someone else is near,

I can turn to him and wink,

He'll supply the missing name,

So no one less of me will think.

Sometimes it takes two (or three),

To remember simple things,

But even in this misery,

Friends remove the sting.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Catachresis ... Feint

Today's word is "catachresis" ... kat-uh-kree-sis ... misuse or strained use of words, as in a mixed metaphor, occurring in error or for rhetorical effect. (Dictionary.com)

Feint

Bending words to light the brain,

Is the writer's stock-in-trade,

This catachresis pokes and prods,

And moves to rattle, rake and ride,

Shaking loose the homely shingles,

Which have comfortably hidden,

Old assumptions crouched inside.

When new boundaries are drawn,

Ideas stretch and groan aloud,

Then bounce and jostle for position,

'Til satisfied they come to rest,

Nestled once again together,

Stronger for the testing.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Bicameral ... Right

Today's word is "bicameral" ... bahy-kam-er-uh l ... Government. Having two branches, chambers, or houses, as a legislative body. (Dictionary.com)

Right

Some relationships can be,

Bicameral as a congress,

With dissent on either side,

And arguments, most endless.

Each vote results in stalemate,

Tempers flare and flame,

And if progress should be made,

It isn't without blame.

If winning is the reason,

And the only goal,

The source of all the conflict,

Will be wreaked upon the shoal.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Serotinal ... Review

Today's word is "serotinal" ... si-rot-n-l ... pertaining to or occurring in late summer. (Dictionary.com)

Review

Colors shift from green ... 

Serontinal orange and red,

Startle our senses.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Fais-dodo ... Restless

Today's word is "fais-dodo" ... fey-doh-doh ... Louisiana. a country dance party. (Dictionary.com)

Restless

Rockin' all around the clock,

Or fais-dodo lullaby,

New age tunes or symphony,

Or watching sheep that fly.

Listening to soothing words,

Meant to infuse the soul,

Or breathing slowly in and out,

Or taking a long stroll.

All these methods to relax,

May be well employed,

Some of them may even work,

Insomnia destroyed!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Narcotize ... Eeek!

Today's word is "narcotize" ... nahr-kuh-tahyz ... to make dull; stupefy; deaden the awareness of. (Dictionary.com)

Eeek! 
Tests and longish airplane rides,
High school reunions wild,
Strangers and new places,
Taxes left unfiled.

Snakes and buggy beatles,
Lions on the run,
Nightmares in the nighttime,
Daymares in the sun.

Horrible T.V. shows,
Other people's socks,
Too many bad ideas,
Narcotize me while I rock!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2917

Septenary ... Solid

Today's word is "septenary" ... sep-tuh-ner-ee ... of or relating to the number seven or forming a group of seven. (Dictionary.com)

Solid

We value what appears,

Before our very eyes,

Verified in fact,

Void of all surprise.

Those septenary bodies,

Circling round up high,

Who could have ever guessed,

They were mere disguise?

And voices that could travel.

All around the earth?

The thought of that made "moderns,"

Laugh and flail with mirth.

Between the quarks and molecules,

Is empty silent space.

Strange it is then isn't it,

That some yet see God's face?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017