Tuesday 31 March 2009

Ruffle

RUFFLE

–verb (used with object)
1. to destroy the smoothness or evenness of.
2. to erect (the feathers), as a bird in anger.
3. to disturb, vex, or irritate.
4. to turn (the pages of a book) rapidly.
5. to pass (cards) through the fingers rapidly in shuffling.
6. to draw up (cloth, lace, etc.) into a ruffle by gathering along one edge.
–verb (used without object)
7. to be or become ruffled; undulate; flutter.
8. to be or become vexed or irritated.
9. to put on airs; swagger.
–noun
10. a break in the smoothness or evenness of some surface; undulation.
11. a strip of cloth, lace, etc., drawn up by gathering along one edge and used as a trimming on a dress, blouse, etc.
12. some object resembling this, as the ruff of a bird.
13. disturbance or vexation; annoyance; irritation.
14. a disturbed state of mind; perturbation.





I let the wind ruffle my wings
And your flippancy, my heart,
Dreaming of ironing boards.

Monday 30 March 2009

Volatile

VOLATILE

–adj.
1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapour.
2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive.
3. changeable; mercurial; flighty.
4. (of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly.
5. fleeting; transient.
6. Computers. of or pertaining to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
7. able to fly or flying.
–noun
8. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent























One,
Two:
A gang.
Volatile
Furtive aggression
Stains on this gentile marble
Despite the warding off gesture, feathery foe wins

Sunday 29 March 2009

Gurgle

GURGLE

-verb intr.

1. To flow in a broken irregular current with a bubbling sound.
2. To make a sound similar to this.
- verb tr.
To express or pronounce with a broken, irregular, bubbling sound.






















Hear dragons lament
In the echoes of lost paths.
A frozen fountain
CRIMSON GURGLE
A frozen fountain
In the echoes of lost paths:
Hear dragons lament.

Saturday 28 March 2009

Diptych

DIPTYCH

noun
A work of art on two hinged panels, such as a painting or carving.



You and I were a diptych,
Jointed in many ways
When Death came to plunder,
Carrying you away for its collection,
My hinges started to rust.

Friday 27 March 2009

Festal

FESTAL

-adj.
Of, relating to, or of the nature of a feast or festival.






















Festal occurrence
In the vesting of new shoots
Swallows returning

Thursday 26 March 2009

Saunter

SAUNTER

–verb (used without object)
1. to walk with a leisurely gait; stroll: sauntering through the woods.
–noun
2. a leisurely walk or ramble; stroll.
3. a leisurely gait.























Looking for faeries
Saunter across the meadow.
Just a touch of frost.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Bleak

BLEAK

–adj.
1. bare, desolate, and often windswept.
2. cold and piercing; raw.
3. without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary



The word felt rather bleak
Howling in my ears, tearing at the sense
My fingers went cold, then my lips.
OUT

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Feign

FEIGN

verb
1. pretend something: to make a show or pretence of something
2. invent something: to make up or fabricate something
3. copy somebody or something: to imitate or copy somebody or something






















On a whim,
Night might feign great adventures for you
Or lull you into bleak comfort.

Monday 23 March 2009

Jussulent

JUSSULENT

-adj.
Full of broth or soup






















The jussulent cup promised to warm and nourish.
It never said anything about the cyanide.

Sunday 22 March 2009

Catalogue

CATALOGUE

-noun
1. A list or itemized display, as of titles, course offerings, or articles for exhibition or sale, usually including descriptive information or illustrations.
2. A publication, such as a book or pamphlet, containing such a list or display.
3. A list or enumeration.
4. A card catalogue.
-verb trans.
5. To make an itemized list of.
a.To list or include in a catalogue.
b.To classify (a book or publication, for example) according to a categorical system.
-verb intr.
6. To make a catalogue.
7. To be listed in a catalogue.



Nine things I remember about Earth:

Wisps of mists stuck in the grass
The purple colour inside irises
The smell of hot boulders
Fields undulating in the wind like a summer dress
The clashing of clouds in a storm
Determined trees clawing at the sky
Rain on almond blossoms
The perfect light

And a taste of freedom

Saturday 21 March 2009

Roseate

ROSEATE

–adj.
1. tinged with rose; rosy.
2. bright or promising.
3. incautiously optimistic






















In the roseate shell of your ear I dropped a pearl, hoping to see it bloom, but found only the sea calling back from the deep, a mermaid song.

Friday 20 March 2009

Roblet

ROBLET

-verb
To lead astray























He was a dashing fellow all right,
And known to for a few unfortunate occurrences
Of his robletting incautious girls.

Thursday 19 March 2009

Anacardic

ANACARDIC

-adj.
Pertaining to, or derived from, the cashew nut; as, anacardic acid.






















Confused,
The guy liked to think of himself as mildly anacardic.
Everyone else thought he was nuts.

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Imprimatur

IMPRIMATUR

–noun
1. an official license to print or publish a book, pamphlet, etc., esp. a license issued by a censor of the Roman Catholic Church.
2. sanction or approval; support






















As much as I love being published in all forms
Nothing like tangible imprimatur
To flatter the inner paper fetishist.

SAND Magazine is on sale there.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Tergiversate

TERGIVERSATE

-verb

To evade, to equivocate using subterfuge; to deliberately obfuscate.
To change sides or affiliation; to apostatize.























The weather appears to tergiversate,
Half way through rain and – possibly - sunshine
Balancing act on the tip of a wing
A single breath of wind lost to the world.

Monday 16 March 2009

Flounder

FLOUNDER

–verb (used without object)

1. to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.).
2. to struggle clumsily or helplessly.
–noun
1. a European, marine flatfish, Platichthys flesus, used for food.
2. any of numerous similar or closely related non-European flatfishes.
3. any flatfish other than soles.



My work was floundering so much
That I felt tempted to dip it in batter and fry it.

Sunday 15 March 2009

Enthral

ENTHRAL •

-verb
1 : to hold in or reduce to slavery
2 : to hold spellbound : charm






















Dream
Staring
From the broken plane
Of a shattered curse,
Free to roam and enthral
Once more.

Saturday 14 March 2009

Thural

THURAL

-adj.
Of or pertaining to incense




My thoughts rose to you
A thural spiral of love
Slowly burning

Friday 13 March 2009

Leach

LEACH

-verb
Permeate or penetrate gradually.




She would sink into the cushion
Until it was entirely leached with her scent,
A keepsake he would sniff at, forlorn, when she was away.

Thursday 12 March 2009

Edacious

EDACIOUS

–adj.
devouring; voracious; consuming.






















Tender morsels
Were but a tease
To our edacious mood.

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Canitude

CANITUDE

noun
greyness, hoariness, whiteness























In a world of canitude
One might re-invent colours
In dreams painted with
A blind eye.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Pickle

PICKLE

–noun
1. a cucumber that has been preserved in brine, vinegar, or the like.
2. Often, pickles. any other vegetable, as cauliflower, celery, etc., preserved in vinegar and eaten as a relish.
3. something preserved in a brine or marinade.
4. a liquid usually prepared with salt or vinegar for preserving or flavouring fish, meat, vegetables, etc.; brine or marinade.
5. Metallurgy. an acid or other chemical solution in which metal objects are dipped to remove oxide scale or other adhering substances.
6. Informal. a troublesome or awkward situation; predicament.
7. Informal. a sour, disagreeable person.
–verb (used with object)
8. to preserve or steep in brine or other liquid.
9. to treat with a chemical solution, as for the purpose of cleaning.
10.to give a pale, streaked finish to (wood) by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching, as to give an appearance of age.
11.Slang. to store; prepare for long-range storage















He thought she had the most beautiful eyes. Thus he had them pickled and put in a small jar so he could keep them on his person at all time.

Monday 9 March 2009

Ingordigious

INGORDIGIOUS

-adj.
Greedy



Her dress was making a statement that she was not quite ready to support. However, this fine detail was overlooked by her ingordigious date.

Sunday 8 March 2009

Scelidate

SCELIDATE

-adj.

with legs



Scelidate purring device
Forgoing world domination for an hour or so
Just the time needed for her nap.

Saturday 7 March 2009

Mermaid

MERMAID

–noun

1. (in folklore) a female marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the tail of a fish.
2. a highly skilled female swimmer.



The mermaid came up in rashes
(The poor thing, didn’t she feel raw!)
So she went to see a specialist.

He was a little off but kind
(He liked the idea of sushi with tits)
Turned out she was allergic to fish!

Friday 6 March 2009

Wind

WIND

–noun
1. air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface.
2. a gale; storm; hurricane.
3. any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan.
4. air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument.
5. wind instruments collectively.
6. the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments.
7. breath or breathing.
8. the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion.
9. any influential force or trend.
10 a hint or intimation.
11 air carrying an animal's odor or scent.
12 Solar wind: an emanation from the sun's corona consisting of a flow of charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, that interacts with the magnetic field of the earth and other planetary bodies.
13 empty talk; mere words.
14 vanity; conceitedness.
15 gas generated in the stomach and intestines.
16 Boxing Slang. the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath; solar plexus.
17 any direction of the compass.
18 a state of unconcern, recklessness, or abandon.
–verb (used with object)
19 to expose to wind or air.
20 to follow by the scent.
21 to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise.
22 to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion.
–verb (used without object)
23 to catch the scent or odour of game.



Wind howling
Scaring away the leaves
Scaring away worries
Clouds chiming.

Thursday 5 March 2009

Madrigal

MADRIGAL

noun
1. A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
2. A short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to music.
3. A polyphonic song using a vernacular text and written for four to six voices, developed in Italy in the 16th century and popular in England in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
4. A part song.





Madrigals for life
Sheer arousing of the soul
Ice and hearts thawing
MUSIC
Ice and hearts thawing
Sheer arousing of the soul
Madrigals for life

More naisaiku at The Naisaiku... Challenge

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Lugent

LUGENT

-adj.
Grieving, sobbing




From Rome,
Story's lugent angel
Travelled the world
On the wings of disaster.

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Crescent

CRESCENT

–noun
1. a shape resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
2. something, as a roll or cookie, having this shape.
3. Astronomy.
a. the figure of the moon in its first or last quarter, resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
b. the similar figure of Mercury and Venus on either side of inferior conjunction, when seen through a telescope.
4. the emblem of Turkey or of Islam.
5. the power, religion, or civilization of Turkey or of Islam.
6. a musical percussion instrument of Turkish origin, consisting of a pole bearing a crescent-shaped metal plate, topped with a pavilion, and hung with small bells. Also called Chinese crescent, Chinese pavilion, jingling Johnny, pavillon Chinois, Turkish crescent.
7. Chiefly British.
a. a curved street, often having solid façades of unified architectural design.
b. the curve or curved portion of a street.
8. Heraldry. a representation of a crescent moon, horns upward unless otherwise specified, used as the cadency mark of a second son.
–adj.
9. shaped like a crescent.
10.increasing; growing.
























On a bitter night,
A moth ate the paper moon:
One morsel at first
- Thus it became a crescent -
Then the rest and darkness won.


Moth courtesy of Dreamstocktheory at DeviantArt.

Monday 2 March 2009

Visitation

VISITATION

–noun
1. the act of visiting.
2. a formal visit, as one permitted by a court's granting of visitation rights or by parents invited to a school to observe the work of students.
3. a visit for the purpose of making an official examination or inspection, as of a bishop to a diocese.
4. (usually initial capital letter) the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Luke 1:36–56.
5. (initial capital letter) a church festival, held on July 2, in commemoration of this visit.
6. the administration of comfort or aid, or of affliction or punishment.
7. an affliction or punishment, as from God.
8. the appearance or coming of a supernatural influence or spirit.























Have you seen him
Fleeting around the square
A cigar in mouth
Hands behind his back
Legs busy measuring space and time?
I can feel his shadow
Shaking its head in irony:
Why weep in a cold church
When the weather is so glorious outside?

Sunday 1 March 2009

Suspension

SUSPENSION

–noun

1. the act of suspending.
2. the state of being suspended.
3. temporary abrogation or withholding, as of a law, privilege, decision, belief, etc.
4. stoppage of payment of debts or claims because of financial inability or insolvency.
5. Chemistry.
a. the state in which the particles of a substance are mixed with a fluid but are un-dissolved.
b. a substance in such a state.
6. Physical Chemistry. a system consisting of small particles kept dispersed by agitation (mechanical suspension) or by the molecular motion in the surrounding medium (colloidal suspension).
7. something on or by which something else is suspended or hung.
8. something that is suspended or hung.
9. Also called suspension system. the arrangement of springs, shock absorbers, hangers, etc., in an automobile, railway car, etc., connecting the wheel-suspension units or axles to the chassis frame.
10.Electricity. a wire, filament, or group of wires by which the conducting part of an instrument or device is suspended.
11.Music.
a. the prolongation of a tone in one chord into the following chord, usually producing a temporary dissonance.
b. the tone so prolonged.
12.Rhetoric. the heightening of interest by delay of the main subject or clause, especially by means of a series of parallel preceding elements.

























Breathe in my soul,
A river in suspension