Persiflage ... Birdies

Today’s word is “persiflage” ... pur-suh-flahzh ... light, bantering talk or writing. (Dictionary.com)

Birdies

In the trees I hear them,
They tweet in persiflage,

They hop branch to branch frenetically,

And hide in nature’s camouflage.

What if someone studied us, as we,
Keep track of all these creatures?
Binoculars trained on all our ways,
Distinguishing our features?

Would they wonder why we travel,
Back and forth to work,

Or find food in restaurants,
Or converse with all our quirks?

Would they be so fascinated,
They’d put some of us in jars,
With holes in all the lids of course,

If they were to take us very far?

Would our humor make them smile?
Would our singing make them weep?
Would we make good pets for some of them?

Or would they think us weak?

Perhaps we’d surprise with our intelligence,

Or inspire with our art,
Or maybe they would let us go,

When we had done our part.

The creatures all around us,

Blithely come and go,

Unaware of our intentions,

Unimpressed with what we know.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Foment ... Calm

Today’s word is “foment” ... foh-ment ... to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.). (Dictionary.com)

Calm

Follow the rules people!

Stay in the lines!

They’re there for a purpose.

You’ll do just fine.

If you foment and whine,

Against things that you hate,

There will be no real progress,

And you’ll just have to wait.

Conversation takes two,

And there’s no time to waste,

Let’s find solutions,

And begin talking post haste.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Equity ...

Today’s word is “equity” ... ek-wi-tee ... the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality. (Dictionary.com)

Given

It’s all grace you know,

Given in equity for all,

For all of us have fallen,

The greatest and the small.

So salvation beckons,

From heaven’s king and heir,

Lay down your fine pretentions,

And find the peace that’s there.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Otiose ... Basset

Today’s word is “otiose” ... oh-shee-ohs ... being at leisure; idle; indolent. (Dictionary.com)

Basset

The most otiose of all dogs,

He walked when he could’ve run,

He balked when he could’ve walked,

And dug in when he was done.

He’d sit down on the sidewalk,

And refuse to move,

Only treats could coax him,

Or force him to our groove.

We loved him in his floppiness,

And for his stubborn ways,

And yet he drove us crazy,

That’s all I have to say.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Decoration ... Memorial

Today’s word is “decoration” ... dek-uh-rey-shuhn ... a badge, medal, etc. conferred and worn as a mark of honor. (Dictionary.com)

Memorial

Celebrate freedom.

Parades and decorations,

Bravery honored.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Seriatim ... Snapshots

Today’s word is “seriatim” ... seer-ee-ey-tim ... in a series; one after another. (Dictionary.com)

Snapshots
This is spring ending,
Little squirrels chasing,
Ducklings swimming seriatim,
Trees full-fledged green.

This is summer beginning,
Walking jacket-less to the mailbox,
Worrying about seeded dandelions,
Planting the last impatiens.

These are the pictures remembered
In autumn when leaves are gone,
In winter when snow has come.
In new spring before warmth.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Hermitage ... Hidden

Today’s word is “hermitage” ... hur-mi-tij ... any secluded place of residence or habitation; retreat; hideaway. (Dictionary.com)

Hidden

The cavern is deep and damp.

Stalagmites slowly rise from

the limestone floor,

stalactites descend drip by

drip from the ceiling of this
strange cathedral.

But it is home and hermitage.

Dark-winged bats hang in community,

singing their songs to each other

in secret language and sign.

Water seeps through stunned rock. 
Rivers run. Blind fish swim.
Salamanders shyly creep.

All this happens without our help.

Without our knowledge.

Under our feet. A world apart.

Do not touch the walls! 

They are alive.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Proselyte ... New

Today’s word is “proselyte” ... pros-uh-lahyt ... a person who has changed from one opinion, religious, belief, sect, or the like, to another; convert. (Dictionary.com)

New

Proselytes go forth.

Enthusiasm glowing,

They will speak their truth.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Overmorrow ...

Today’s word is “overmorrow” ... oh-ver-mawr-oh ... the day after tomorrow. (Dictionary.com)

Melt

Is it enough to think ahead

     to tomorrow or the overmorrow?

Perhaps we could think into next month

     or year or century, but what good 

          would that do?

The next moment ... the now, and now, and now,

     contains all we can absorb.

Moments creeping in from the past, or

     futures borrowed from imagination

          only replace our living.

We stand in our present like a caterpillared chrysalis,

     quivering, changing, held through time by grace.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Today’s word is “self-possessed” ... self-puh-zest ... having or showing control of one’s feelings, behavior, etc.; composed; poised. (Dictionary.com)

Tantrum

The world cries out for attention,

like a spoiled child cries ...

“Look at me!” “Look at me!”

We want to watch, as if our mere attention

would, could, make a difference.

That incessant cry, annoys, frightens,

and causes our anxiety to rise.

How do you placate a sad and angry world?

Our arms too small to hold all its pain.

It won’t listen to us any way ...

stubborn in its refusal to be soothed,

it writhes in catastrophes 

of its own making.

If we stand apart, self-possessed,

will it take notice? If not, we at least 

might find our rest. Maybe that will

make a difference.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Stellate ... Celestial

Today’s word is “stellate” ... stel-it ... like the form of a conventionalized figure of a star; star-shaped. (Dictionary.com)

Celestial

There are many kinds of stars;

the kind that sparkle in blackness

at the furthest reaches of our eyes,

and those on stage that shine

with the hope of fame.

Many-legged stars walk on beaches

and swim in a world we’ll never

understand. Paper stars, threaded with yarn, 

hang on Christmas trees.

Stellate cookies beg for frosting.

Star-crossed lovers miss each other

by minutes with only the faintest inkling

that they may have missed something.

By the night and the day. By seasons. 

By taste and touch and smell and sight 

and sound. By all the world and by each other.

We are star struck.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Scaturient ... Shady

Today’s word is “scaturient” ... skuh-toor-ee-uhnt ... gushing; overflowing. (Dictionary.com)

Shady

Woodland flowers grow,

Scaturient; colorful.

We follow their flood.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Buckram ... Trying

Today’s word is “buckram” ... buck-ruhm ... stiffness of manner; extreme preciseness or formality; a stiff cotton fabric for interlinings, book bindings, (Dictionary.com)

Trying

A little man went walking,

His spine like buckram cast,

Every step was measured,

All his mistakes lived in the past.

But in the concrete there were cracks,

Where roots had taken hold,

There he tripped and faltered,

Feeling less than bold.

He reassessed his route,

He checked his point of view,

He loosened up his tie,

And started out anew.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Jockey ...

Today’s word is “jockey” ... jok-ee ... to manipulate cleverly or tricking; to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering; a person who rides horses professionally in races. (Dictionary.com)

Breakfast

Head for the feeder,

Quick, jockey for position.

Is this your last meal?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Alameda ... Stems

Today’s word is “alameda” ... al-uh-mey-duh ... a public walk shaded with trees. (Dictionary.com)

Stems

We walk the alameda,

where spring is on display,

There tulips gather into crowds,

carefully arranged by color, size,  

and shape ... frilly, pointed, curved.

Forsythia’s tiny yellow flowers

shyly balance on wavy stems,

huddling over rows of daffodils, 

their little faces indiscriminately nodding

at anyone passing by.

Then, bursting up from every crack

and unsuspecting barren space ... 

dandelions, certain, apparently,

that all those ordered patches of perfection 

lack a certain wild joy.

I wonder at their beauty,

and how they know exactly where

their messy happiness is needed.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Whataboutism ... OK

Today’s word is “whataboutism” ... hwuht-uh-bou-tiz-uhm ... a conversational tactic in which a person responds to an argument or attack by changing the subject to focus on someone else’s misconduct, implying that all criticism is invalid because no one is completely blameless: Excusing your mistakes with whataboutism is not the same as defending your record. (Dictionary.com)

OK

“Would that we could,” said she,

     “Have a conversation.”

That sounded good to him ... odd,

     but a step in the right direction.

And things were calm at first,

     each stating their positions.

One would make a query,

     whataboutism spiked, the reply.

Soon, accusations flew (and loud)

     ‘til they could hear nothing

          but their own voices quivering.

Seeing eye to eye was not

     about to happen in this lifetime.

They huffed away in opposite directions,

     opinions firmly settling like footprints in wet cement.

Both looking for someone to agree with,

     someone who would smile and nod,

          and not offend with questions.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Consent ... Mine

Today’s word is “consent” ... kuhn-sent ... to permit, approve, or agree. (Dictionary.com)

Mine

They said all truths are equal,

And said I should consent,

(They could not find their measure,

And cared not where it went.)

They did not care for measuring,

Since all ideas are fair,

Logic or the lack of it,

Caused no confusion or despair.

Facts were not important,

Even when they multiplied,

Those weighted words were not enough,

To put feelings to the side.

Only one truth really mattered,

The one of which they spoke,

All others were as irrelevant,

As leaves gone up in smoke.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Expatiate ... Listen

Today’s word is “expatiate” ... ik-spey-shee-eyt ... to move or wander about intellectually, imaginatively, etc., without restraint. (Dictionary.com)

Listen

He’ll expatiate.

Bring snacks and an easy chair.

Knowledge takes patience.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

JOMO ... Rewire

Today’s word is JOMO ... joh-moh ... a feeling of contentment with one’s own pursuits and activities, without worrying over the possibility of missing out on what others may be doing. (Dictionary.com)

Rewire

Silence. There’s not enough.

     Sometimes it seeps in around T.V.,

          the Internet ... the varied voices.

The noise is self inflicted. 

     How unfortunate. How normal.

And all the people; all the groups.

     All the lives to keep up with,

          to measure against.

We’re part of each other. Without touching.

     Without hearing inflections, sighs;

          without seeing raised eyebrows, 

                crooked smiles or tears.

Maybe when we disconnect from wired thought,

     and reconnect in flesh and blood,

          we will revive our JOMO.

Sharing our humanity, humanly. 

     Loving ourselves, selflessly.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Mother Wit ... Waves

Today’s word is “mother wit” ... muhth-er wit ... natural or practical intelligence, wit, or sense. (Dictionary.com)

Waves

When things are topsy-turvey,

And mother wit has flown,

What becomes our compass,

As we’re by wild winds blown?

Where will we find an anchor,

To stay us to the land?

Do we have the map of reason

Clutched in our trembling hands?

Is there faith to save us?

As God is standing by,

We’ll need to check directions,

To sail and then to fly.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Motte ... Placed

Today’s word is “motte” ... mot ... a grove or clump of trees in prairie land or open country. (Dictionary.com)

Placed
The field is endless,
Broken only by a motte.
Still parentheses.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Popinjay ... Brilliant

Today’s word is popinjay ... pop-in-jey ... a person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter. (Dictionary.com)

Brilliant
Flying their colors,
The popinjays saunter in,
Blinding everyone.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Perspicacity ... Jeremy

Today’s word is “perspicacity” ... pur-spi-kas-i-tee ... keenness of mental perception and understanding; discernment; penetration. (Dictionary.com)

Jeremy

He speaks with perspicacity,

Though his years are ten,

We shake our heads when listening,

His words beyond his ken.

Of dinosaurs and earth’s core,

He elucidates with ease,

Then delves into the human heart,

Defining kindness, if you please.

In him rare wisdom we perceive,

We will watch his spirit’s race,

Expecting some great goodness,

As he runs in God’s embrace.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Blossom ... Pop!

Today’s word is “blossom” ... blos-uhm ... the flower of a plant, especially of one producing edible fruit. to flourish; develop. (Dictionary.com)

Pop!

Blossoms! Beautiful!

Rainbow colors spark joy.

Earth celebrates life.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2018

Camp ... Dug In

Today’s word is “camp” ... kamp ... something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly mannered or stylized, or self-consciously artificial and extravagant. (Dictionary.com)

Dug In

It was a campy little plant,

posing as a native.

But its name betrayed it:

Invasive Japanese Barberry ...

We’re not sure if it truly has

ulterior motives.

After all, we’ve never caught it

sneaking around at night.

They say it is difficult to eradicate

since it is tenacious.

Only burning seems to do it,

and I am not fond of fire.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Wilder ... Drawn

Today’s word is “wilder” ... wil-der ... to cause to lose one’s way; to lose one’s way. (Dictionary.com)

Drawn

On a winsome day,

Are some wildered from their path,

Despite the bright light?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Avenaceous ... Daily

Today’s poem is “avenaceous” ...av-uh-ney-shuhs ... of or like oats. (Dictionary.com)

Daily

I wake up slowly, stretching, blinking,

The blinding sun hiding behind blackout curtains.

I stumble, needing coffee, to the kitchen and see,

A happy Quaker smiling on my cereal box.

He is satisfied, apparently, with his position,

Representing the good, the healthy and the holy ...

A lot to expect from a bowl of avenaceous porridge,

Yet he seems filled with confidence.

If I eat of this I wonder, will I too be blessed?

My body and character changed for the better?

Is this the holy communion of an ordinary day,

A ritual which could be used to recreate the world?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Organon ... Summa

Today’s word is “organon” ... awr-guh-non ... an instrument of thought or knowledge. (Dictionary.com)

Summa Long ago, when philosophy was born,
Thinking became a form, an art,
And an organon became a guide,
To keep world’s from falling apart.

Teachers and students traded places,
Walking through centuries of time,
Words and concepts building nations,
With a certain grandeur of design.

Then some held that their own sweet visions,
Over the wise one’s uniquely towered,
They taught the young that old ways undone,
Would make a path for a perfect future flower.

Now in the halls which birthed great ages,
Logic and reason no longer persuade,
Feelings and passions rage and rule,
With no certain measure or reliable gauge.

Waiting for the future with careful eye,
Who can see beyond this day’s turn?
Our present will appear hour by hour,
Until a direction can be discerned.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Vigesimal ... Dainty

Today’s word is “vegesimal” ... vahy-jes-uh-muhl ... of, relating to, or based on twenty. (Dictionary.com)

Dainty

A pie for a king,

Vigesimal blackbirds, plus,

Baked. Ready to sing!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Bombinate ... Drip

Today’s word is “bombinate” ... bom-buh-neyt ... to make a humming or buzzing noise. (Dictionary.com)

Drip

Rain has been pattering for days ...

down the tulip buds and greens, 

leaving an inconvenient lake

next to my side of the car.

I can hear it tap dancing on the roof

and running down the windows as if

being chased by something it fears.

Although what that might be, I cannot know.

In fact, the weather forecast shows endless clouds,

propelled by unforgiving fronts marching

straight toward my door. 

The only thing that keeps me from despair

is the hope of sunny days. They too always come.

Bright flowers blossoming and bees bombinating

the air, bent on finding pollen and propagating ...

working tirelessly to ensure a honeyed future.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Guddle ... Fishing

Today’s word is “guddle” ... guhd-l ... to catch (fish) by groping with the hands, as under rocks or along a riverbank. (Dictionary.com)

Fishing

I watch the river run, silver,

     shining in the morning light,

It twists and turns, going its own way,

     bent only by boulders.

It flows like history, a turn here,

     a ripple, a still pool, a waterfall,

All of its inhabitants along for the ride,

     at home, yet carried to new places.

Occasionally a thunderstorm threatens,

     rains turn to torrent, changing everything.

But given time, new currents emerge,

     and the strong survive. 

We survive, holding culture in our hands 

     like a slippery trout carefully coaxed

          and guddled from the stream.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019