Dumbledore ... Bzzz

Today’s word is “dumbledore” ... duhm-buhl-dawr ... a bumblebee. (Dictionary.com)

Bzzz

The dumbledore flys,

Doing the impossible,

Doing what he does.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Degringolade ... Tipping Point

Today’s word is “degringolade” ... dey-gran-gaw-lad ... a quick deterioration or breakdown, as of a situation or circumstance. (Dictionary.com)

Tipping Point

How long can we go on,

     pointing fingers,

Refusing to listen to others

     fingers in ears.

Accusations flying,

     fingers pointing. 

We need forgiveness,

     compassion, heart.

Without this degringolade

     will surprise.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Nisus ... Lead

Today’s word is “nisus” ... nahy-suhs ... an effort or striving toward a particular goal or attainment; impulse. (Dictionary.com)

Lead

God’s children listen,

His voice their holy nisus,

Following with desire.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Fulgurant ... Strident

Today’s word is “fulgurant” ... fuhl-gyer-uhnt ... flashing like lightning. (Dictionary.com)

Strident

Above the mumbling,

Fulgurant voices cry out.

All heads turn their way.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Heterography ... Right

Today’s word is “heterography” het-uh-rog-ruh-fee ... the use of the same letter or combination of letters to represent different sounds, as, in English, the use as s in sit and easy.

Right

Our spelling is most difficult,

On the best of days,

Then strange heterography,

Makes rules we must obey.

But our little children,

On their screens and phones,

Are inventing brand new spellings,

And will our language hone.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Tripping ... Stalk

Today’s word is “tripping” ... trip-ing ... proceeding with a light, easy movement or rythm. (Dictionary.com)

Stalk

Tripping through the grass,

Looking this way and then that,

Aware of every movement,

It’s the way of this wild cat.

He thinks that he is wild,

As he hunts for snacks in trees,

Checking all the bushes,

There’ll be no escapees.

But when his master calls,

He hopes for something more,

With one last longing look,

He runs for his front door.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Svengali ... Follow

Today’s word is “svengali” ... sven-gah-lee ... a person who completely dominates another, usually with selfish or sinister motives. (Dictionary.com)

Follow

He told so many stories.

     They watched with rapt attention ...

He was convincing with all his

     emotion. A regular Svengali.

They probably should have noticed

     when he began asking for little favors.

          When he asked for money for himself.

But he had big words and enormous

     theories. And stage presence. And he

          understood guilt. And pressure.

It worked too. He was successful. Got what 

     he wanted. Even now he sits,

          King of his little kingdom.

His willing subjects bask in his

     compliments. Mesmerized by

          something they cannot understand.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Ben trovato ... Sum

Today’s word is “Ben trovato” ... Ben truh-vah-toh ... appropriate and characteristic even if untrue; happily invented or discovered. (Dictionary.com)

Sum

Looking at results,

They’re Ben trovato. I think.

But I could be wrong.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Abuseage ... Yikes!

Today’s word is “abusage” ... uh-byoo-sij ... improper use of words; unidiomatic or ungrammatical. (Dictionary.com)

Yikes!

I can see the teacher,

     finger in the air,

She’s checking on the grammar,

     of her students sitting there.

What she finds, she can’t believe,

     no order can be seen,

Some kids write all lower case,

     others capitally scream.

Not a comma anywhere,

     abusage of all common sense,

Run-on sentences evade

     and make all reading dense.

If they weren’t typing with their thumbs,

     on tiny luminescent screens,

They might have the ability,

     to spell exactly what they mean.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Qua ... Always

Today’s word is “qua” ... kwah ... as; as being; in the character or capacity of. (Dictionary.com)

Always

God qua creator,

Shows us his inventive mind.

In all times and things.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Popple ... Blow

Today’s word is “popple” ... pop-uhl ... to move in a tumbling, irregular manner, as boiling water. (Dictionary.com)

Blow

As of this very moment,

All the poppling can cease,

We’ve had enough of dogging rain,

It’s time for our release.

As for those draining temperatures,

That threaten our demise,

The front of cold can’t come too soon,

(Please be of a great size!)

The weather’s not important,

Until it stops us in our tracks,

Then it becomes the master,

And that is a true fact!

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Daedal ... Drops

Today’s word is “daedal” ... deed-l ... skillful; ingenious. (Dictionary.com)

Drops

A great storm’s rolling in,

     the daedal clouds have been 

           layered by a sky artist,

Dangling leaves begin to whisper,

     urged to movement

          by a building breeze.

Soon, tiny branches give way,

     pushed from their places ...

          pelted by tiny raindrops.

Lightning flashes a fearsome message,

     a warning of things to come,

And then, without warning,

     the sun appears.

The threat is gone and everything

     returns to routine. The forecast

           wrong again.

Predicting the future, it seems,

     comes with no guarantee.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Jollier ... Tricky

Today’s word is “jollier” ... jol-ee-er ... a person who talks or acts agreeably to someone, in order to keep that person in good humor, especially in the hope of gaining something. (Dictionary.com)

Tricky

The jollier smiled,

Smooth words calmed his enemy.

A sweet deception.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Cosplay .. Disguise

Today’s word is “cosplay” ... kos-pley ... the art or practice of wearing costumes to portray characters from fiction, especially from manga, animation, and science fiction. (Dictionary.com)

Disguise

Little kids play Superman,

Older kids cosplay,

Something about pretending,

Makes a worthwhile day.

You are the strongest one,

With powers unsurpassed,

Keep the costume on,

That’s how you make it last.

But when the play’s all done,

And the costume’s at your feet,

You’re left alone with you,

Quiet and incomplete.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Barmecidal ... Gulls

Today’s word is “Barmecidal” ... Bahr-muh-sahyd-l ... giving only the illusion of plenty; illusory. (Dictionary.com)

Gulls Along the roofline they all sat,
Contemplating their next meal,
Only squawking could be heard,
As each other’s spots they’d steal.

You’d think with all those birdies,
You’d get amazing notes,
But raw Barmecidal songs,
Came from their creaky throats.

Though they could not sing,
They cleaned the beach with ease,
A quality most needed,
With which we were all pleased.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Ideogram ... See

Today’s word is “ideogram” ... id-ee-uh-gram ... a written symbol that represents an idea or object directly rather than a particular word or speech sound, as a Chinese character. (Dictionary.com)

See

An ideogram like a minus sign,

Might challenge our great brains,

But to us in this place and time,

It might just seem quite plain.

Then gaze upon some cuneiform,

And try to discern its story.

You might find some discrepancies,

What is vain and what is glory?

For me, I’ll take a pictogram,

Made of images so clear,

That there can be no mistake,

You’ll know when you are near.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Remora ... Shine

Today’s word is “remora” ... rem-er-uh ... an obstacle, hindrance, or obstruction. (Dictionary.com)

Shine

Trying to improve,

The remora is ourselves.

Find a way around.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

raison d'être ... Why

Today’s word is “raisin d’etre” ... Rey-zohn de-truth.

Why

The raison d’être,

The meaning of each new day,

Is contained in it.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Infare ... Delight

Today’s word is “infare” ... in-fair ... a party or reception for a newly married couple. (Dictionary.com)

Delight

Loon dance on water.

As exciting as an infare.

Celebrating life.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Federalese ... Otherwise

Today’s word is “federalese” ... fed-er-uh-leez ... awkward, evasive, or pretentious prose said to characterize the publication and correspondence of U.S. federal bureaus. (Dictionary.com)

Otherwise

Wisdom’s not contained

in federalese, jargon.

Speak plainly to us.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Peccable ... Better

Today’s word is “peccable” ... pek-uh-buhl ... liable to sin or error. (Dictionary.com)

Better

We live peccable lives,

     though we try to be the best,

          or the smartest

               or the most humble.

It seems we are doomed to

     not measure up.

Too much of this, not enough of that.

Where is the place of equilibrium?

Where can we rest our restless souls?

Even when the answer is right

     before us, we hesitate.

The bar is set too high ... what mortal

     can overcome it?

Maybe it is in the trying and failing

     and trying again that we gain

          understanding.

Maybe acknowledging our failure 

     is how we begin to understand

          the gift of grace.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2919

Eye-Minded ... Original

Today’s word is “eye-minded” ... ahy-mahyn-did ... disposed to perceive one’s environment in visual terms and to recall sights more vividly than sounds, smell, etc. (dictionary.com)

Original

The very first to be eye-minded,

Was the God who made us all,

Imagine his exquisite joy,

With his creatures, before the fall.

The ostrich with enormous eyes,

Butterflies rainbow winged,

Elephants and giant cats,

Birds that chirp and scream and sing.

How long before he was satisfied,

How many creatures did he make?

Or is he somehow yet creating,

In his realm, always awake?

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Donnish ... Turn

Today’s word is “donnish” ... don-ish ... bookish; pedantic. (Dictionary.com)

Turn

In these days of media,

Screens, Kindles and devices,

Does anyone still turn a page,

And feel that it suffices?

Or that even more it satisfies,

The touch of paper on the skin,

The folded corners a reminder,

Of where your thoughts have been.

Not only the donnish understand,

The lure of printed pages,

They’re there for everyone of us,

The common and the sages.

Anne aselleck

Copyright 2019

Caducity ...

Today’s word is “caducity” ... kuh-doo-si-tee ... fragility; transitoriness: the caducity of life. (Dictionary.com)

Travel
Here today and gone tomorrow,
That is what they say,
The caducity of time,
Paves the travel of our days.

Sometimes we wish that we could take,
Those revolving hands in ours,
Slow them down or wind them back,
If it was only in our our power.

But we must move on, in the flow,
Trusting the path will lead us home,
That all the words we’ve heard are true.
They’ve come from the one we know.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Everywhen ... Imagine

Today’s word is “everywhen” ... ev-ree-hwen ... all the time; always. (Dictionary.com)

Imagine
Not to be doubted ...
His promise is his presence.
Everywhen and where.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Ansa ... Space

Today’s word is “ansa” ... an-suh ... either of the apparent extremities of the rings of Saturn or of other planets, especially when viewed from a distance under certain conditions, when they look like two handles. (Dictionary.com)

Space
Inconceivable distances.
As far as one ansa to another.
From our planet to the sun.
We are sometimes that far
     from each other.
In our own worlds ...
     universes apart. With no means
          of travel between them.

Anne Selleck 
Copyright 2019

Thalassic ... Calm

Today’s word is “thalassic” ... thuh-las-ik ... of or relating to seas and oceans. (Dictionary.com)

Calm

Waves fade to sunset.

Gull cries and thalassic peace.

Beach visitors stare.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

John Hancock ... Bold

Today’s word is “John Hancock” ... jon han-kok ... a person’s signature. (Dictionary.com)

Bold

John Hancock writ large,

Independence sealed in ink.

Freedom’s final home.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Paradisiacal ... Framed

Today’s word is “paradisiacal” ... par-uh-di-sahy-uh-kuhl ... of, like, or befitting paradise. (Dictionary.com)

Framed

Waves lap quietly ...

     sandy shores accept their affection.

The paradisiacal sky changes through

     prismatic colors.

If I could, I would like to be

    an apprentice sunset painter.

I would like to learn the finer points

    of painting silver linings and 

          mixing just the right shade of orange.

I would pay close attention.

It’s difficult to paint in two dimensions.

Imagine what it would be like to paint in three,

     and then add movement to the challenge.

I guess you would need many soft, gray days

     just to rest up from each magnificent

          setting of the sun.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Tmesis ... Inbetween

Today’s word is “Tmesis” ... tuh-mee-sis ... the interpolation of one or more words between the parts of a compound word, as be thou ware for beware. (Dictionary.com)

Inbetween

We describe everything,

     even our language.

We need these words for our words,

     like tmesis or syllable or phrase.

We need to put our lives into context.

     Clarify our meaning. Our reason for being.

Outline the parenthesis of our times.

     Fill in the blanks.

Some of us have given up. Preferring 

     reliable routine for the search for more.

But we are more. More than we think,

    or imagine. We are more than stardust,

         or cells, or atoms or quarks.

Our being is mysterious but real. We move

     forward into our future blind to the 

          next moment,

Yet some of us move in faith, trusting in 

     someone more mysterious than ourselves.

Believing that we, though flawed,

     truly live in a holy place which will,

          Someday shine brighter than the sun.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2019

Orgulous ... Opine

Today’s word is “orgulous” ... awr-gyuh-luhs ... haughty; proud. (Dictionary.com)

Opine
So sure of themselves,
Orgulous and rude,
Their own viewpoint right,
That’s what they conclude.

If you disagree,
You may as well give in,
They reserve the right,
To bop you on your chin.

But do not raise your voice,
Or confuse their minds,
They’re sensitive you know,
Please, don’t be unkind.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019