Heebie-jeebies ... Shaky

Today’s word is “heebie-jeebies” ... hee-bee-jee-beez ... Slang. a condition of extreme nervousness caused by fear, worry, strain, etc.; the jitters; the willies (usually preceded by the). (Dictionary.com)

Shaky

Please, is this the final night,

Of the gruesome, silly season,

When the heebie-jeebies reign,

And most have lost their reason?

Soon the pumpkins will be smashed,

All the candy will be eaten (!),

And the dentists’ best advice,

Will be soundly beaten.

Tomorrow we can look ahead,

To gratefulness and thanks,

And then to Christmas, joyfully,

Away with fear and pranks.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Kobold ... Creatures

Today’s word is “kobold” ... koh-bold ... (in German folklore) a spirit or goblin, often mischievous, that haunts houses. (Dictionary.com)

Creatures

Kobolds in the tunnels,

Pixies in the trees,

Gremlins creeping ‘round the bend,

Gnomes running wild and free.

Our imaginations now run too,

Nervous, inexplicably,

In the daytime we can’t see them,

How can they really be?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Psychology ... Ooooooooo!

Today’s word is “psychomancy” ... sahy-koh-man-see ... occult communication between souls or with spirits. (Dictionary.com)

Oooooooo!
When thinking of psychomancy,
(A strange thing, it is true),
You might think that it is fancy,
Something like a witches’ brew.

Since we don’t do such a great job,
Of speaking to the living,
We should probably ignore the spirits,
They are not forgiving!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Guisard ... Creep

Today’s word is “guisard” ... gahy-zerd ... a person who wears a mask; mummer. (Dictionary.com)

Creep
When the night is dark,
The guisards may creep softly,
Disturbing slumber.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Preta ... Knock

Today’s word is “preta” ... prey-tuh ... Hindu Mythology. a wandering or disturbed ghost.

Knock

‘Tis the spooky season,

Of pretas lurking low,

Black cats around each corner,

Jack-o-lanterns out for show.

Soon many tiny characters,

Will show up at your door,

Shouting loudly, “Trick or treat!”

For candy from the store.

Don’t give them broccoli or pears,

Apples or radicchio,

They’ll just get mad at you and throw,

Eggs at you as they go.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017u

Sawbones ... Basics

Today’s word is “sawbones” ... saw-bohnz ... Slang. a surgeon or physician. (Dictionary.com)

Basics

Be sure to drink your smoothie,

And eat your apples too,

Keep the sawbones and the dentist,

Far away from you.

Walk a mile each day,

Be sure you get some sleep,

Spend good time with friends,

And your commitments keep.

Learn to love your solitude,

Pray and dance and love,

Be grateful for each day of life,

They’re gifts from God above.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Deadwood ... Compost

Today’s word is “deadwood” ... ded-woo d ... (in writing) unnecessary words, phrases, or exposition; expendable verbiage. the dead branches on a tree; dead branches or trees. (Dictionary.com)

Compost
On the forest floor,
Deep within sticks and branches,
Deadwood nurtures life.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Rapprochement ... Turn

Today’s word is “rapprochement” ... rap-rohsh-mahn ... an establishment or reestablishment of harmonious relations. (Dictionary.com)

Turn
As long as there are sides,
There will be no rapprochement,
If all we see are differences,
We won’t get what we want.

If the goal is truely peace,
Let’s focus on what’s good,
Faith and friends and family,
Which in all times, have stood.

Beyond the color of our skin,
Our culture, sex or race, 
Are breathing lives that are the same,
We all need a bit of grace.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Cruciverbalist ... Write

Today’s word is “cruciverbalist” ... kroo-suh-vur-buh-list ... a designer or aficionado of crossword puzzles. (Dictionary.com)

Write

The proportions of letters,

     the shape of their counters,

Ascenders, descenders and ampersands,

   striving, curving, moving.

Put together into a myriad of words ...

     they boggle and challenge us,

          as if we were cruciverbalists,

               hoping to bend them to our will.

And perhaps some of us do,

     playrights, poets, novelists, song writers.

          Creating thoughts and worlds that feel real.

As real as the ground on which we all stand,

     as real as memories or dreams.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Coleopteron ... Buggy

Today’s word is “coleopteron” ... koh-lee-op-ter-uh n ... a coleopterous insect; beetle. (Dictionary.com)

Buggy

If you were of the Coleoptera,

You’d never feel alone,

390,000 species,

Call this earth their home.

There are ladybugs with dots,

Cowboys and long-nose weevils

Beatles checkered and the darkling,

The rhinoceros (who is not evil).

The list of course goes on and on,

What kind of planet is this,

Where even a plethora of insects,

Is by a madcap maker kissed?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Ducky ... Roll

Today’s word is “ducky” ... duhk-ee ... Informal. fine; excellent; wonderful. (Dictionary.com)

Roll
Skies darken with rain,
But some may be just ducky.
Made for the challenge.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Perlocutionary ... Blah

Today’s word is “perlocutionary” ... pur-luh-kyoo-shuh-ner-ee ... Philosophy, Linguistics. (Of a speech act) producing an effect upon the listener, as in persuading, frightening, amusing, or causing the listener to act. (Dictionary.com)

Blah

The talking heads are busy,

Spouting perlocutionary words,

Designed to titilate and frighten,

Although they’re most absurd.

We must keep our reason,

Our logic, mathematical and cold,

To understand each other,

And create solutions, bold.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Nocent ... Dreams

Today’s word is “nocent” ...  noh-suh nt ... harmful; injurious. (Dictionary.com)

Dreams

As hard as we try to love,

     we fail, and fail again.

What gets in our way?

     Prejudice, selfishness, laziness?

All of those and more. Our actions are

     often bent to our own devices ...

Nocent motives though, become apparent,

     soon or late.

Still we try. And that is the better way ...

     perfection may not be attainable,

          yet our good deeds shine with 

                unfulfilled desire.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Gorgonize ... Sing

Today’s word is “gorgonize” ... gawr-guh-nahyz ... to affect as a Gorgon; hypnotize; petrify. (Dictionary.com)

Sing
Bad news comes in like a flood,
We’re gorganized by fear,
Her evil gaze and visage,
Make her motives clear.

Of all the barriers we could raise,
To silence frightening foes,
Are songs to God from infant lips ...
They will lift us out of woe.

What a strange prescription,
To cure of us our ills,
But strength grows out of weakness,
And fortifies our will.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Mealy-mouthed ...

Today’s word is “mealy-mouthed” ... mee-lee-mouth d ... avoiding the use of direct and plain language, as from timidity, excessive delicacy, or hypocrisy; inclined to mince words; insincere, devious, or compromising. (Dictionary.com)

Speak

Blessed are the ones,

Who are not mealy-mouthed,

But speak of loves truth.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Jawbreaker ... Perspective

Today’s word is “jawbreaker” ... jaw-brey-ker ... Informal. a word that is hard to pronounce. a very hard, usually round, candy. (Dictionary.com)

Perspective
What happened to the simple things,
We remember from the past,
The roller skates and wind-up toys,
The toys we thought would last?

Waxy lips and jawbreakers,
Pixie sticks and Tootsie Rolls,
(I suppose all of that sugar,
May have made us lose control.)

The world seemed sweet and innocent,
But we were very small,
Safe and happily unaware,
Of what we’d see when we grew tall.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Pestiferous ... Defense

Today’s word is “pestiferous” ... pe-stif-er-uh s ... bringing or bearing disease; pestilential; pernicious; evil. (Dictionary.com)

Defense

Words pestiferous,

maim and kill. Inoculate!

Love Is the vaccine.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Intrapersonal ... Cowed

Today’s word is “intrapersonal” ... in-truh-pur-suh-nl ... existing or occurring within the self or within one’s mind. (Dictionary.com)

Cowed

Thought bubbles are drifting,

Over your head,

Silently protesting,

What’s just been said.

You would like to speak now,

But you’re afraid,

You’ll shake up the others,

(They’re remarkably staid).

They’ve made up their minds,

In total accord,

No dissension allowed,

Their own ideas adored.

So, you hold your tongue,

And intrapersonally,

Frame your objections,

Where no one can see.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Moribund ... Lift

Today,s word is “moribund”... mawr-uh-buhnd ... in a dying state; near death. On the verge of extinction or termination. (Dictionary.com)

Lift

Leaves fall, one by one, by one,

     into an unbearably heavy collection 

          of the brown, brittle, moribund.

To touch them, walk through them,

     or catch them as they tumble ...

Well, you would certainly say there is 

     no hope for anything good to come

         from their decimated state.

But that would mean you had never

     watched them as winter moistened

          and compressed and dissolved them.

Until they resembled nothing as much as soil.

Then, using their crumbled bodies for food,

     resurrected from and through them new life;

          entire forests of potential.

And looking up, you would see, buds ...

     waiting their turn to live and die and become more.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Netiquette ... Pause

Today’s word is “netiquette” ... net-i-kit ... the rules of etiquette that apply when communicating over computer networks, especially the internet. (Dictionary.com)

Pause

Stop yelling with your capitals,

And ignoring punctuation,

Please don’t be a bully,

It causes agitation.

Be clear with others always;

They can’t hear your voice,

Use this netiquette online,

You’ll be glad you made the choice.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Arcadian ... Tour

Today’s word is “Arcadian” ... rural, rustic, or pastoral, especially suggesting simple, innocent contentment. (Dictionary.com)

Tour

Off to the Arcadian countryside,

To see the colors change,

To feel the fall-like crispy air,

A trip was soon arranged.

We drove for hours to the northern land,

Where much to our surprise,

The forest all around was green,

No amazement for our eyes.

We had our fun and came back home,

And drove through our neighborhood,

The trees were yellow, gold and red,

It was beautiful and good!

There is a lesson to be learned,

From this silly story,
The place may be closer than you think,
Where God shows forth his glory.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Astrobleme ... Whole

Today’s word is “astrobleme” ... as-truh-bleem ... Geology. an erosional scar on the earth’s surface, produced by the impact of a cosmic body, as a meteorite or asteroid. (Dictionary.com)

Whole
Broken ground, an astrobleme rises up, 
     memory of a universal accident.
Under its cover of grass and trees,
     it lies mute, its only speech a scar.
The earth heals, slowly, inevitably;
     it feels no pain and counts no years.
In our humaness, we cannot
     fathom such a process.
We are tender, wounded also;
     our scars hidden from each other.
If we only recognized this secret, 
     we would find solace. Our weakness 
           would become our greatest strength.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Esprit de corps ... Uncommon

Today’s word is “esprit de corps” ... e-spree duh kawr ... a sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of persons closely associated in a task, cause, enterprise, etc. (dictionary.com)

Uncommon

In the kingdom come,

Like will find like in spirit,

Pure esprit de corps!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Anthropocentric ... Human

Today’s word is “anthropocentric” ... an-thruh-poh-sen-trik ... viewing and interpreting everything in terms of human experience and values; regarding the human being as the central fact of the universe. (Dictionary.com)

Human

The robots are coming! Coming!

Will they ever understand,

Our special way of thinking?

Or will they make demands?

In our anthropocentric world,

Imagination doesn’t bend,

To include zeros and ones,

They are not our aim or end.

We will not follow written code,

But freely our choices make,

We will love and dance and learn,

And live and sing and ache.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Collogue ... Stumble

Today’s word is “collogue” ... kuh-lohg ... Dialect. to confer secretly. to plot mischief; conspire. (Dictionary.com)

Stumble

In offices and alleys

    companions collogue undetected,

Plans for ill are made,

     and minions dispatched.

Soon or late, their actions reveal their secrets;

     truth refuses to hide for long.

Occasionally though, this truth struts 
     like the emperor with no clothes. And the audience 
          cannot believe its eyes.

Blinded by facts, they cower, claiming they see

     nothing amiss.

Luckily, in the tale, a small voice rose over the 

     murmmering of the cowering crowd,

          and innocently stated the obvious.

Oh, for a little child to lead us now.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Upcycle ... Found

Today’s word is “upcycle” ... uhp-sahy-kuh l ... to process (used goods or waste material) so as to produce something that is often better than the original. (Dictionary.com)

Found
Just when you thought that it was trash,
You watched fix-it-up t.v.,
Got the idea to redeem it!
And upcycle it for free!

You saw a special something,
Glimmer in that thing,
A little spit and polish,
Some paint, and it will sing!

Discarded treasure needs rescue,
As do we also,
And someone greater than ourselves,
To love and make us whole.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2017

Aerie ... Here

Today’s word is “aerie” ... air-ee ... the nest of a bird of prey, as an eagle or a hawk; a lofty nest of any large bird. (Dictionary.com)

Here

Coming home is what we long for,

     the sound of friendly laughter,

          warm food on the table.

All creatures great and small know this,

     the rabbit in his nest ; the eagle in his aerie;

          the bear in his den; the mouse in his hole.

We, though, need a place where our soul can rest,

     and be fed; nurtured and encouraged to grow.

This home is love. This home is faith. This home is 

     a place of peace. This home is silence, pregnant

          with the presence of God. And it is everywhere,

              and nowhere in particular. It is even,

                   especially, within ourselves.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Cucurbit ... Boo

Today’s word is “cucurbit” ... kyoo-kur-bit ... any plant of the gourd family. (Dictionary.com)

Boo

Apples in baskets,

Curcubits waiting for faces,

Candycanes lurking.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Woke ... Up

Today’s word is “woke” ... woke ... Slang. actively aware of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights. (Dictionary.com)

Up

Have you noticed the moon,

     as it slides behind its cloud bank,

         shining like a child’s flashlight 

              under a blanket?

Did you see the first star tonight, blinking bright?

Have you seen acorns falling like rain?

     or the first fall leaf as it metamorphosed,

          green to red?

Have you listened to the birds as they greet the day,

     before the first blink of light?

Have you felt the hand of a trusting child in yours?

     Or smelled a baby’s hair? Or wondered at the wisdom

          In an elder’s eyes?

Have you felt, within yourself, something more?

     If you have. You are woke.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Thimblerig ... Chance

Today’s word is “thimblerig” ... thim-buh l-rig ... a slight-of-hand swindling game in which the operator plams a pellet or pea while appearing to cover it with one of three thimblelike cups, and then, moving the cups about, offers to bet that no one can tell under which cup the pellet or pea lies. (Dictionary.com)

Chance

Some would say that life’s a joke,

Tricky, like a game of thimblerig,

That you don’t really matter,

Like a hand that’s been reniged.

But if the dealer’s cheating,

He’s throwing out some crazy signs,

Like nature’s amazing bounty,

And humans who with stardust shine!

Despite black observations,

Of the world as doom and gloom,

We see through smoke and mirrors,

Close, the spirit’s welcome room.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017

Anhedonia ... Chill

Today’s word is  “anhedonia” ... an-hee-doh-nee-uh ... Psychology. lack of pleasure or of the capacity to experience it. (Dictionary.com)

Chill

Winter’s coming soon enough,

Although colored, shedding trees,

Call it’s bluff and try to prove,

They could win, if they but plead.

We know the truth of coming snows,

Which whiten everything,

Except brave, bare wooden trunks,

And hardy birds that sing.

Winter’s anhedonia,

Plays out in shades of gray,

We’ll live each day in mournful hope,

That spring is on its way.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2017