Intercalary ... Gone

Today’s word is “intercalary” ...  inserted or interpolated in the calendar, as an extra day or month.

Gone
Just when you think you’ve got it right,
They change the numbered days,
An intercalary date appears,
And with your mind it plays.

But now we’re safe for four more years,
When we recite the numbers in our heads,
Everything is evened out,
Until those years are finally sped!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Echelon ... Layers

Today’s word is “echelon” ... a level of command, authority, or rank. (Dictionary.com)

Layers
Is life golden there ...
In the upper echelons?
Or is life, just life?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Vug ... Unexpected

Today’s word is “vug” ... small cavity in a rock or vein, often lined with crystals. (Dictionary.com)

Unexpected
A tiny little world 
in a tiny little vug,
Crystals sheltered deep within,
Cozy as a hug.

Who would ever think,
Looking at that stone,
Gray and dull and sad,
That it could be a home?

And we, who are so broken,
Hold within our soul,
Beauty inconceivable,
Poised to make us whole.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Corrigible ... Fine

Today’s word is “corrigible” ... subject to being revised, improved, or made more accurate: (Dictionary.com)

Fine
Our situation seems most dire,
Judging from our actions,
Everything we do or say
Divides us into factions.

We have a propensity to war,
To hurt each other darkly,
Reveling in our cruel tricks,
Revealed each day most starkly.

But God thinks us corrigible,
Worthy of love and graces,
If we could only see that too,
In each other’s faces.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Krewe ... Favor

Today’s word is “krewe” ... a private social club that sponsors balls, parades etc. as part of Mardi Gras festivities.

Favor
At the end of days,
No krewe will plan the party.
Your place is waiting.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Realpolitik ... Clear

Today’s word is “realpolitik” ... political realism or practical politics, especially policy based on power rather than on ideals. 

Clear
Every early morning,
Out my window I do gaze,
Checking temperature and drift,
Questioning the coming day.

I pray a prayer of gratitude,
For sleep and rested limbs,
For gentle dreams and wishes,
Made of imaginary whims.

I think not of realpolitik,
Of disease and rumored wars,
Of tortured morals or their cause,
Or what evil is for.

Those thoughts will come unbidden,
As the hours travel by,
But they will not consume me,
In this, the morning’s eye.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Thersitical ... TIp Toe

Today’s word is “thersitical” ... scurrilous; foulmouthed; grossly abusive. (Dictionary.com)

Tip Toe
Is it better to be calm, reasoned, impassive ...
 rather than theristically spoken?
Most would say yes.
Is it good to speak freely no matter
 one’s position?
Most would say yes,
And yet, those most passionate
     refuse the passion of their 
          opponents.
Thinking, I suppose, that their own
     position is the only, obvious choice.
Thinking there would be no point
     in entertaining another point of view,
          or walking in another’s shoes.
But if we do not take that walk,
     we will never reach a common destination.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Gullywasher ... Drops

Today’s word is “gullywasher” ... a usually short, heavy rainstorm. (Dictionary.com)

Drops
Every day there’s more ...
A gullywasher of information.
Running around and through us.
Threatening to drown us
In our own words.

We jump and dive to avoid the current,
But there’s no stopping it.
There is peace only in silence.
Silence obtained by will.
Decanted from the noise,
Savored in small amounts.

Time must be taken
Lest we forget whose we
Really are.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Farthing ... Little

Today’s word is farthing ... something of very small value. (Dictionary.com)

Little
We’re all wondering ...
Feeling small as a farthing?
The universe sees.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Phronesis ... Veiled

Today’s word is “phronesis” ... wisdom in determining ends and the means of attaining them. (Dictionary.com)

Veiled 
Who has God’s wisdom?
Man’s phronesis is partial.
Trust bridges the gap.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Détent ...

Today’s word is “détent” ...  a relaxing of tension, especially between nations, as by negotiations or agreements. (Dictionary.com)

Teeth
We need a détent.
So friends can be friends again.
There is a way through.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Plethoric ... Patience

Today’s word is “plethoric” ... overfull; turgid; inflated. (Dictionary.com)

Patience
Waiting through the last winter days ...
The plethoric atmosphere bears down.
There are still snows to snow
And winds to blow,
And roads to make slippery,
And last storms to wake the spring.

Soon there will be sun.
We’ve been promised by the past.
Over and over the sun has warmed the earth,
The light will linger longer each day,
Birds will return. Flowers erupt.
Bugs emerge from nowhere.
The lake will warm.
We will sigh.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Lincolnesque ... Brave

Today’s word is “Lincolnesque” ... like or characteristic of Abraham Lincoln. (Dictionary.com)

Brave
Who is Lincolnesque?
Who can follow a hero?
Those most pure of heart.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Soniferous ... Quarrel

Today’s word is “soniferous” ... conveying or producing sound. (Dictionary.com)

Quarrel
My cat is quite soniferous,
Though sometimes he is quiet,
The other day, out in the porch,
He was involved in a small riot.

He was growling deep and low,
All his fur upstanding,
His enemy was staring up,
From his place upon the landing.

But I opened up the door,
And scared the enemy away,
My cat came in complaining,
To fight another day.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Asana ... Pose

Today’s word is “asana” ... any of the postures in a yoga exercise. (Dictionary.com)

Pose
Choose your asana,
Hold your breath and lean into,
Then center your soul.

Anne Selleck 
Copyright 2020

Jo ... Sparkle

Today’s word is “jo” ... beloved one; darling; sweetheart. (Dictionary.com)

Sparkle
Today’s a day of love,
Of romance and of tears,
Of souls both won and lost,
Over lives and years.

One day is not enough,
To express such feelings rare,
To show affection’s touch,
To celebrate and share.

Each Jo has a special light,
Enchanted prisoned charms,
Eternity delights in this,
We’re embraced within God’s arms.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2019

Chocolate-box ... Back

Today’s word is “chocolate-box” ... excessively decorative and sentimental, as the pictures or designs on some boxes of chocolate candy; prettified: decorous, chocolate-box paintings of Victorian garden parties. (Dictionary.com)

Back
So many memories swirl,
In a chocolate-box of time,
Decorated with colors bright,
Observed and imaged fine.

Feelings come and go,
The past like scrapbook pages,
Each image real as now,
Though of old times and of ages.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Quiddity ... Bound

Today’s word is “quiddity” ... the quality that makes a thing what it is; the essential nature of a thing. (Dictionary.com)

Bound

Light of very light,

It’s quiddity is it’s truth.

This light, love’s essence.

Anne Selleck

Copyright 2020

Bleach ... Microscopic

Today’s word is “blench” ... to shrink; flinch; quail. (Dictionary.com)

Microscopic
Now there’s a virus to ruin your day,
To make you blench and quiver,
It pops up when the least expected,
Uncomfortable as a sliver.

Where is it now? It roams around,
Like an uninvited guest,
Sneaking from place to place to place,
On it’s own unnerving quest.

We can bar our doors and hide inside,
We can venture out, in spite,
Or we can live our lives in joy and peace,
Living this moment’s sweet delights.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Grandstand ... Podium

Today’s word is “grandstand” ... to conduct oneself or perform showily or ostentatiously in an attempt to impress onlookers. (Dictionary.com)

Podium
Looking for power.
Unfortunate grandstanding,
Please ask the people.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Pinnacle ... Steep

Today’s word is “pinnacle” ... the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame. (Dictionary.com)

Steep
Years of hard climbing,
Looking for the pinnacle.
The valley is green.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Tantivy ... Reign

Today’s word is “”tantivy” ... at full gallop. (Dictionary.com)

Reign
As we ride tantivy,
Into our future times,
Maybe we should pause,
And consult the true, devine.

At this pace we’ll tumble,
Fallen on our pride,
And be astounded at our reach,
As our moral strictures crumble.

A little peace and quiet,
Some music soft and low,
Some prayer and meditation,
Will help us as we go.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Zephyr ... Today

Today’s word is “zypher” ... a gentle, mild breeze. (Dictionary.com)

Today
Just a little breeze.
A zypher for our relief.
Soon. Please come here soon!

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Spin ...

Today’s word is “vis-á-vis” ... in relation to; compared with. (Dictionary.com)

Spin
What are we upon this earth?
Who are we, here, vis-á-vis
     who we could be ...
           should be?
What makes us think there
     is more than this brief span?
          Something important watching,
                 Something real, yet ...
                       hidden?
If there were no mystery in all of this,
     or if we lived forever, what then?
Would we lull ourselves to sleep with love?
Would we be thankful for delicate detail ...
       a baby’s hands, translucent wings,
          perfect petals on a nearly invisible flower,
Or the unnecessarily beautiful colors that
     decorate a minuscule underwater slug?
Or the intricate code that makes us who we are?
Maybe it is brevity that opens our eyes wide,
     wide enough to behold this world.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Philippic ... Sad

Today’s word is “philippic” ... any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation. (Dictionary.com)

Sad
Too many philippics,
Sounding in the air,
Filling all the corners,
With cries that life’s “unfair.”

Someone’s rights are trampled,
Someone’s feelings bruised,
Somebody’s unhappy,
Feeling hurt and used

Instead of recognizing,
Dangers lurk around us all,
And that every person,
Is victim of the fall,

We scream at one another,
For some form of redress,
Why is most confusing,
And anybody’s guess.

We can see it happening,
And the weight of its great measure,
When each of us to each could be,
Our greatest, dearest treasure.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Desuetude ... Lost

Today’s word is “desuetude” ... the state of being no longer used or practiced. (Dictionary.com)

Lost
So many traditions falling,
Into the sea of desuetude,
Even within holy walls,
Where faith warm, was imbued.

Where deep rivers used to run,
There are mere trickles now,
And people wondering around,
Searching for their solemn vows.

Suspicion has replaced the priest,
Selfish will the scripture’s place,
Humans thinking they’re in charge,
Ignoring God’s good grace.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Caucus ... Choose

Today’s word is “caucus” ... U.S. Politics. a local meeting of party members to select candidates, elect convention delegates, etc. (Dictionary.com)

Choose
Who is the best one, the best one
    the best one,
This one or that one or one
     we’ve not seen?
And who is real? Will the caucus
     reveal them?
Will they help us to know them,
     Or play make believe?
Will they keep all their promises,
     bring peace and prosperity?
Who can we trust in these times
     most extreme?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Gree ... Winner

Today’s word is “gree” ... the prize for victory. (Dictionary.com)

Winner
Some would look for gree
To protect egos fragile.
They break like thin shells.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020

Fictile ... Made

Today’s word is “fictile” ... of or relating to pottery. (Dictionary.com)

Made
We’re fictile beings.
From the earth, back to the earth.
Made by grace for grace.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2020