The Art of Anne: March 2021

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Campestral ... Sigh

Today’s word is “campestral” ... of or relating to fields or open country. (Dictionary.com)

Sigh

I heard a report of heaven,

Campestral views and light,

A place full of love and joy,

Brilliant flowers; birds in flight.

A place that wraps you ‘round,

A place with no more pain,

Where you desire no earthly thing,

That once you thought was gain.

What is our striving for?

All this stress and strain?

Nothing’s ours forever,

That much is surely plain.

Anne Selleck

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Brabble ... Lean

Today’s word is “brabble” ... to argue stubbornly about trifles; wrangle. (Dictionary.com)

Lean

So much energy wasted,

In brabble and altercation,

This is not improving,

The state of conversation.

Best of friends divided,

Leaving love behind,

Sad and unrequited,

To their fate resigned.

There is no middle ground,

We stand on edges only,

Looking toward the center,

Hearts lost alone, and lonely.

Anne Selleck

Monday, March 29, 2021

Palmary ... Crossed

Yesterday’s word was “palmary” ... having or deserving to have the palm of victory or success; praiseworthy. (Dictionary.com)

Crossed

The best of all palmary things,

Happened long ago, in history,

To the King of heaven and earth,

When he was there for all to see.

Through his life he taught,

And announced his rule and reign,

But through his death he brought us life,

Through his sacrifice and pain.

Joy comes after suffering,

In this monumental story,

And promises his followers,

That they will see his glory.

Anne Selleck

Effulgent ... Squint

Today’s word is “effulgent” ... shining forth brilliantly; radiant. (Dictionary.com)

Squint

In this world of confusion

Where do we find answers?

Are we enough? Our collective

Wisdom? Our intelligence?

Our long history of problem solving?

To find a way out of our

Dilemmas ...

ironically, self imposed.

Why do we do these thing to ourselves?

We so want to see the effulgent light

Of a new day.

Yet, the harder we try, the more

Confusion and pain.

Perhaps we should not be left

To our own devices.

Anne Selleck

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Matzo ... Passover

Today’s word is “matzo” ... unleavened bread in the form of large crackers, typically square and corrugated, eaten during Passover. (Dictionary.com)

Passover

Matzo, bitter herbs and lamb,

Readings from the sacred text.

These, reminders of the passing

Over, of death.

The story of a people, set apart for holiness.

An exodus from oppression.

And later, a man who came from those

Same people to save us.

Because we need saving. All of us.

And so the celebration goes on,

Lifetimes and lifetimes from the source.

Yet here and now. A reminder and a future.

Anne Selleck

Friday, March 26, 2021

Avant-Garde ... Forefront

Today’s word is “avant-garde” ... of or relating to the experimental treatment of artistic, musical, or literary material. (Dictionary.com)

Just found this unfinished from a while ago ... so two today!

Forefront

Some are meant to be unique,

Avant-garde and strange,

Creating things amusing,

Intellectual and out-of-range.

But others are more comfortable,

On traditional foundations,

And appreciate more natural things,

Evident in plain creation.

If art cannot be understood,

And it’s purpose is not clear,

Life is deprived of joy and life,

Though both are oh so near.

Anne Selleck

Fustigate ... Blow

Today’s word is “fustigate” ... to criticize harshly; castigate. (Dictionary.com)

Blow

The judgements are flying,

from seas to shining seas.

There’s obligation to share every thought.

But this is not enough. From somewhere

comes entitlement and surety,

The fine moral sense of righteousness,

goodness, wisdom.

A view that one’s self is higher than

all others. And from that mountaintop,

everything is oh, so clear.

And so it comes ... the sound of superiority.

In strident tones with fustigaton.

Calling for everyone to come to the

same conclusion and to walk

in the same direction.

Never thinking that clarity comes

in conversation and compromise.

Missing out on challenge and it’s

mercies.

Clearing a path with the whirlwind

of one’s own mind.

Anne Selleck

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Concatenation ... Peerless

Today’s word is “concatenation” ... a series of interconnected or interdependent things or events. (Dictionary.com)

Peerless

What sort of grand explosion?

What concatenation of forces,

(Far beyond our imagination)

Caused the everything within which

we live?

In an instant it appeared ...

an entire universe of possibilities.

Even our most amazing brains,

full of mysteries and fantasies

cannot conceive.

And to what purpose? All this frantic

energy? This chaos turned to light,

and land and sky

and planets and creatures and

consciousness?

None? It hardly seems possible;

hardly likely.

The coordination is extraordinary.

Full of amazing interconnections ...

fabulous intertwinnings.

Whirled fingerprints, ferns and galaxies.

A common language.

A singular genius.

Anne Selleck

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Peduncle ... Intricacy

Today’s word is “peduncle” ... a flower stalk, supporting either a cluster or a solitary flower. (Dictionary.com)

Intricacy

Flowers are complicated,

Sepals, shoots and leaves,

A peduncle full of buds,

Blooms soon to be achieved.

Every color of the rainbow,

Every shape and size,

They were obviously designed,

By someone very wise.

We need not know the names,

Of each inspired part,

Just take in their beauty,

With our eyes and hearts.

Anne Selleck

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Emulous ... Think

Today’s word is “emulous” ... desirous of equaling or excelling. (Dictionary.com)

Think

Writing, writing, writing,

Papers and dissertations,

Pen in mouth, eyes in a squint,

His was a learning station.

Books piled into little towers,

Schedules on the wall,

He was emulous of knowledge,

And did not want to fail or fall.

So he spent his hours and days,

Feet held to the fire,

Concentrating on the prize,

To which he did aspire.

Anne Selleck

Monday, March 22, 2021

Abecedarian ... Frantic

Today’s word is “abecedarian” ... arranged in alphabetical order; of or relating to the alphabet. (Dictionary.com)

Frantic

Everything was neat and tidy,

No dust anywhere,

Even an abecedinarian,

Would find the order fair.

Every day the chores were done,

The floors mopped to a shine,

Bathrooms sparkled and what’s more,

That home could be enshrined.

There was no time for fantasy,

For artistry or dreams,

All energies were spent and gone,

On this demanding scheme.

“There must be balance,” someone said,

In all things that we do,

But much more is accomplished,

By the focused few.

Anne Selleck

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Foozle ... Struggle

Today’s word is “foozle” ... to bungle; play clumsily. (Dictionary.com)

Struggle

Learning something new

takes a lot of energy.

Work habits. Repetition. New skills.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

You fail and foozle. Get discouraged.

And then, one day, something clicks.

And you inch forward.

Until by some miracle all the

pieces fit.

And then the routine begins ...

as if it was all simple

from the very start.

Well then. Wouldn’t you think that we

could learn love?

Of course it would take time,

and lots of practice.

A lot of trial and error;

mistakes would be expected.

But if we stuck with it, for days,

and weeks and months

and years,

Maybe we would make progress.

And maybe someday, everything

would click.

Anne Selleck

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Vernal ... Open

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

Open

Tulips break the earth,

The vernal sun delights us,

Our spirits rise up.

Anne Selleck

Friday, March 19, 2021

Gasconade ... Despite

Today’s word is “gasconade” ... extravagant boasting; boastful talk. (Dictionary.com)

Despite

What happens when the gasconade,

Turns out to be untrue,

And people see that they’ve been had,

And that it’s nothing new?

Do they become embittered,

Hopeless or afraid?

Or angry at their given place,

In this sad masquerade?

Do a few hang on to faith,

In God and even man?

Doing their very best to cope,

Doing good all the ways they can?

As long as that hope lives,

There’ll be a chance for us to thrive,

A chance for good to conquer ...

We may yet be revived.

Anne Selleck

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Nescience ... Control

Today’s word is “nescience” ... lack of knowledge; ignorance. (Dictionary.com)

Control

In the blink of an open eye,

Our nescience is revealed,

A small blunder here or there,

And our fate is sealed.

Contemplate and wait,

Do not speak until you’ve thought,

Do not move into a trap,

Until every solution’s sought.

It seems so simple doesn’t it?

Yet we’re impulsive actors,

And it seems we’re willful,

Blinded to obvious factors.

Anne Selleck

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Macushla ... Affection

Today’s word is “macushla” ... darling. (Dictionary.com)

Affection

Love revels in names,

“Sweetheart”, “macushla,” “dear one,”

It’s a heart whisper.

Anne Selleck

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Haimish ...

Today’s word is “haimish” ... homey; cozy and unpretentious. (Dictionary.com)

Settled

Our home is rightly haimish,

Suddenly I realize,

Though small and rather humble,

Nothing should be assumed by size.

It’s a place to take your shoes off,

Relax and sit right down,

Sip a cup of coffee,

Turn around that frown.

There are mansions crowning hillsides,

With swimming pools and more,

But I am very happy,

Coming in my own front door.

Anne Selleck

Monday, March 15, 2021

Lickers-split ... Renew

Today’s word is “lickety-split” ... at great speed; rapidly.

Renew

Shall we run, lickety-split?

I remember when I was quick!

When hopping up stairs was a delight,

And we’d play ‘til day turned night.

The stairs are now a mountain high,

And running’s a dream like learning to fly,

These muscles and bones are not the same,

As when “string bean” was my name.

But, I still breathe nature’s air,

And at beauty choose to stare,

The warmth of spring is on the way,

And the blessings of each new-born day.

Anne Selleck