Poltergeist

POLTERGEIST


–noun
a ghost or spirit supposed to manifest its presence by noises, knockings, etc.






















Hissing and scratches
Tired poltergeist sighing
Coming through ether.


Vintage radio courtesy of Marieke van Santen

Narcissus

NARCISSUS

-noun
1. any bulbous plant belonging to the genus Narcissus, of the amaryllis family, having showy yellow or white flowers with a cup-shaped corona.
2. the flower of any of these plants.
3. (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. a youth who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool and wasted away from unsatisfied desire, whereupon he was transformed into the flower.



I lose myself in your petals
In search of my own image
Warped Narcissus
Inebriated by scents
Too familiar not to be
Vaguely incestuous


The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Insipid

INSIPID

-adj.
1. Lacking flavour or zest; not tasty.
2. Lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull.























An insipid creature he never was
She forgot the sound of his voice
But remembers the taste of his skin.


Original silhouette picture courtesy of Bfick

Overture

OVERTURE

–noun
1. an opening or initiating move toward negotiations, a new relationship, an agreement, etc.; a formal or informal proposal or offer.
2. Music.
a. an orchestral composition forming the prelude or introduction to an opera, oratorio, etc.
b. an independent piece of similar character.
3. an introductory part, as of a poem; prelude; prologue.
4. (in Presbyterian churches)
a. the action of an ecclesiastical court in submitting a question or proposal to presbyteries.
b. the proposal or question so submitted.
–verb (used with object)
5. to submit as an overture or proposal.
6. to make an overture or proposal to























I love to play
A most fragrant
Sicilian overture
Full of crunch
And surprises.

Transgress

TRANSGRESS

-trans. verb
1. to pass over or beyond (a limit or boundary); to surpass; to overstep
2. to break or violate (a civil or moral law, for example);
-int. verb
3. to commit an offence by disobeying a law or command; sin



Dare
To
Transgress
For pleasure,
Acceleration,
A call of the wild and untamed
A sense of fragrant wind rushing
Messing with your hair.
A free life
A cat’s
Blessed
Life.

Nadir

NADIR

-noun
1. Astronomy. the point below the observer that is directly opposite the zenith on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected
2. the lowest point



In
The
Gutter
Where the mood
Finds its own nadir
You can still see stars floating by.

Scant

SCANT

–adj.
1. barely sufficient in amount or quantity; not abundant; almost inadequate.
2. limited; meagre; not large.
3. barely amounting to as much as indicated.
4. having an inadequate or limited supply (usually followed by “of”)
–verb (used with object)
5. to make scant; diminish.
6. to stint the supply of; withhold.
7. to treat slightly or inadequately.
–adv.
8. Scot. and North England Dialect. scarcely; barely; hardly.























A scant measure of hope
Yet the cup overflows
Exuberance wins all
The garden a green riot.

Parsimony

PARSIMONY

–noun
extreme or excessive economy or frugality; stinginess; niggardliness.






















Dragon needle tea
Brewed with parsimony
Jade in my cup.

Nail

NAIL

–noun
1. a slender, typically rod-shaped rigid piece of metal, usually in any of numerous standard lengths from a fraction of an inch to several inches and having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened, for hammering into or through wood, other building materials, etc., as used in building, in fastening, or in holding separate pieces together.
2. a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe.
3. a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 21/4 in. (6.4 cm).
–verb (used with object)
4. to fasten with a nail or nails.
5. to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often fol. by up).
6. to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position.
7. to accomplish perfectly.
8. Informal.
a. to secure by prompt action; catch or seize.
b. to catch (a person) in some difficulty, lie, etc.
c. to detect and expose (a lie, scandal, etc.).
9. Slang. to hit (a person).
10. to focus intently on an object or subject.
11. Obsolete. to stud with or as if with nails.



I
Tried
To save
Drifting love
Nailing evidence
On every wall for anchorage

Stopping very short of adding
My beating heart as exhibit.

Our love continued on its course
Downwards, downwards, still,

A slow death of lead poisoning.
All that cold metal
Draining heat
And life
From
It.


The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Specious

SPECIOUS

-adj.
1. Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious
2. Deceptively attractive.






















This idyllic picture is specious
A monster lurks in the grass
Claiming fighters and dreamers alike.

Communication

COMMUNICATION

–noun
1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
4. a document or message imparting news, views, information, etc.
5. passage, or an opportunity or means of passage, between places.
6. communications,
a. means of sending messages, orders, etc., including telephone, telegraph, radio, and television.
b. routes and transportation for moving troops and supplies from a base to an area of operations.
7. Biology.
a. activity by one organism that changes or has the potential to change the behaviour of other organisms.
b. transfer of information from one cell or molecule to another, as by chemical or electrical signals.






















Struggling
With communication issues
I implored:
“Talk to me!”
But he remained mute
As if made of wood.

Mosaic

MOSAIC

–noun
1. a picture or decoration made of small, usually coloured pieces of inlaid stone, glass, etc.
2. the process of producing such a picture or decoration.
3. something resembling such a picture or decoration in composition, especially in being made up of diverse elements.
4. Also called aerial mosaic, photomosaic. an assembly of aerial photographs matched in such a way as to show a continuous photographic representation of an area (mosaic map).
5. Architecture. (in an architectural plan) a system of patterns for differentiating the areas of a building or the like, sometimes consisting of purely arbitrary patterns used to separate areas according to function but often consisting of plans of flooring, reflected ceiling plans, overhead views of furnishings and equipment, or other items really included in the building or building plan.
6. Also called mosaic disease. Plant Pathology. any of several diseases of plants, characterized by mottled green or green and yellow areas on the leaves, caused by certain viruses.
7. Biology. an organism exhibiting mosaicism.
8. Television. a light-sensitive surface in a television camera tube, consisting of a thin mica sheet coated on one side with a large number of small globules of silver and cesium insulated from each other. The image to be televised is focused on this surface and the resulting charges on the globules are scanned by an electron beam.
–adjective
9. pertaining to, resembling, or used for making a mosaic or mosaic work.
10.composed of a combination of diverse elements.
–verb (used with object)
11.to make a mosaic of or from.
12.to decorate with mosaic.



Your smile has become a mosaic
A myriad of feelings thrown together
But pleasure; worn off by time.

Subreption

SUBREPTION

–noun
1. Canon Law. a concealment of the pertinent facts in a petition, as for dispensation or favour, that in certain cases nullifies the grant.
2. Scots Law. the act of obtaining something, as an escheat, by concealing pertinent facts.
3. a fallacious representation or an inference from it.






















There’s true subreption
In its acting nonchalant
Insects? What insects?

Quaver

QUAVER

–verb (used without object)
1. to shake tremulously; quiver or tremble.
2. to sound, speak, or sing tremulously.
3. to perform trills in singing or on a musical instrument.
–verb (used with object)
4. to utter, say, or sing with a quavering or tremulous voice.
–noun
5. a quavering or tremulous shake, especially in the voice.
6. a quavering tone or utterance.
7. Music (chiefly British). an eighth note.




She sang
Hanging onto a semiquaver
Feathers aflutter
The tenuous sound
Stopping the world in its tracks


Public domain drawing of bird and nest courtesy of Perpetualplum at Flickr.

Trinket

TRINKET

–noun
1. a small ornament, piece of jewellery, etc., usually of little value.
2. anything of trivial value.
–verb (used without object)
3. to deal secretly or surreptitiously.






















Memories glittering,
Trinkets dearly bought
Along discovered jewels.

Beg

BEG

–verb (used with object)
1. to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favour.
2. to ask (someone) to give or do something; implore.
3. to take for granted without basis or justification.
4. to fail or refuse to come to grips with; avoid; evade.
–verb (used without object)
5. to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.
6. to ask humbly or earnestly.
7. (of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.



Your hand a shallow bowl
Begging for stray thoughts,
Shadows left behind by departing doubts
And wasted tears gone dry with age.
Begging for a gesture, a look
Cognition before recognition
A loosely wrapped bond ready to fly.
Begging to be held.


The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Pass

PASS

–verb (used with object)
1. to move past; go by.
2. to let go without notice, action, remark, etc.; leave unconsidered; disregard; overlook.
3. to omit the usual or regular payment of.
4. to cause or allow to go through or beyond a gate, barrier, etc.
5. to go across or over (a stream, threshold, etc.); cross.
6. to endure or undergo.
7. to undergo or complete successfully.
8. to cause or permit to complete successfully (an investigation, examination, course of study, etc.).
9. to go beyond (a point, degree, stage, etc.); transcend; exceed; surpass.
10.to cause to go or extend farther.
11.to cause to go, move, or march by.
12.to allot to oneself (a portion of time); spend.
13.to live through, utilize, or fill; occupy oneself during.
14.to cause to circulate or spread; disseminate.
15.to cause to be accepted or received: to pass a worthless check.
16.to convey, transfer, or transmit; deliver (often followed by “on”).
17.to convey from one person, hand, etc., to another.
18.to pledge.
19.to utter, pronounce, or speak.
20.to cause to go through something, as a process or agency.
21.to discharge or void from the body, as excrement or a kidney stone.
22.to sanction or approve, especially by vote.
23.to obtain the approval or sanction of (a legislative body, committee, etc.), especially by a vote.
24.to express or pronounce, as an opinion.
25.Law. to place legal title or interest in (another) by a conveyance, a will, or other transfer.
26.(in feats of magic) to perform a pass on.
27.Tennis. to make a passing shot against (an opponent).
28.Sports. to transfer (the ball or puck) to a team mate.
29.Bullfighting. (of a bullfighter) to provoke and guide the charge of (a bull) with the capa or especially the muleta.
–verb (used without object)
30.to go or move onward; proceed.
31.to come to or toward, then go beyond.
32.to go away; depart.
33.to elapse or slip by; be spent.
34.to come to an end.
35.to die.
36.to take place; happen; occur.
37.to go by or move past.
39.to serve as a marginally acceptable substitute.
40.to live or be known as a member of a racial, religious, or ethnic group other than one's own, esp. to live and be known as a white person although of black ancestry.
41.to be transferred or conveyed.
42.to be interchanged, as between two persons.
43.to undergo transition or conversion.
44.to go or get through a barrier, test, course of study, etc., successfully.
45. to go unheeded, unchallenged, or un-remarked on.
46.to express or pronounce an opinion, judgement, verdict, etc. (usually followed by “on” or “upon”).
47.to be voided, as excrement or a kidney stone.
48. to obtain the vote of approval or sanction of a legislative body, official committee, or the like.
49. Law.
a. (of a member of an inquest or other deliberative body) to sit (usually followed by “on” or “upon”).
b. to adjudicate.
c. to vest title or other legal interest in real or personal property in a new owner.
50.to throw a ball from one person to another, as in a game of catch.
51.Sports. to make a pass, as in football or ice hockey.
52.Cards.
a. to forgo one's opportunity to bid, play, etc.
b. to throw in one's hand.
53.Fencing Obsolete. to thrust or lunge.
–noun
54.an act of passing.
55.a narrow route across a relatively low notch or depression in a mountain barrier.
56.a road, channel, or other way providing a means of passage, as through an obstructed region or other barrier.
57.a navigable channel, as at the mouth or in the delta of a river.
58.a permission or license to pass, go, come, or enter.
59.Military.
a. a military document granting the right to cross lines or to enter or leave a military or naval base or building.
b. written authority given a soldier to leave a station or duty for a specified period of time.
60.a free ticket or permit.
61.South African. A document formerly issued to a Black person in South Africa and used to enforce certain legal and economic restrictions under the apartheid system. Also called reference book.
62.Chiefly British. the act of passing a university or school examination or course without honours or distinction.
63.Sports. the transfer of a ball or puck from one team mate to another.
64.Baseball. the awarding of first base to a batter to whom four balls have been pitched. Also called “base on balls".
65.Fencing. a thrust or lunge.
66.a single movement, effort, manoeuvre, etc.
67.Informal.
a. a gesture, action, or remark that is intended to be sexually inviting; amorous overture.
b. a jab or poke with the arm, especially one that misses its mark.
68.Cards. the act or statement of not bidding or raising another bid.
69.(in feats of magic)
a. a passing of the hand over, along, or before anything.
b. the transference or changing of objects by or as by sleight of hand; a manipulation, as of a juggler.
70.a particular stage or state of affairs.
71.Bullfighting. a pase.
72.one passage of a tool over work or one passage of work through a machine.
73.Archaic. a witty remark or thrust.
74.Mining. an opening for delivering coal or ore to a lower level underground.






















Sometimes,
I whisper secrets,
Passing notion into the mirror,
To see if it might reflect
And send an answer
I might use in real life.
But clouds are just passing
And I can't seem to.

Egregious

EGREGIOUS

–adj.
1. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.
2. Archaic. distinguished or eminent.



Heat
In
Excess
Egregious
In consequences:
A tempest of rioting blooms.

Troposhere

TROPOSPHERE

–noun
Meteorology.
the lowest layer of the atmosphere, 6 mi. (10 km) high in some areas and as much as 12 mi. (20 km) high in others, within which there is a steady drop in temperature with increasing altitude and within which nearly all cloud formations occur and weather conditions manifest themselves.



That week he found the troposphere
Weighing down on him, pressing,
Slowly washing his body into the mirror
Where he could see torture implements
Captured already, ready for his arrival.
Eager.

Aeolian

AEOLIAN

–adj.
1. pertaining to Aeolus, or to the winds in general.
2. (usually lowercase) of or caused by the wind; wind-blown.
3. (lowercase) Geology. noting or pertaining to sand or rock material carried or arranged by the wind (also spelled “eolian”).
-noun
1. One of a Hellenic people of central Greece that occupied Aeolis and Lesbos around 1100 B.C.



Scaling Aeolian walls
Crumbling under our steps,
Thinking of Sisyphus.

Limnology

LIMNOLOGY

–noun
the scientific study of bodies of fresh water, as lakes and ponds, with reference to their physical, geographical, biological, and other features.



We pretext a fervour for limnology
When in fact we’re only interested
In a nice day out with a boat.

Felicity

FELICITY

-noun
1. the state of being happy, especially in a high degree; bliss.
2. an instance of this.
3. a source of happiness.
4. a skillful faculty.
5. an instance or display of this.
6. Archaic. good fortune.



Looking for felicity
Promised by a book
Discovering the pictures
Never match reality.

Purport

PURPORT

verb (used with object)
1. to present, especially deliberately, the appearance of being; profess or claim, often falsely..
2. to convey to the mind as the meaning or thing intended; express or imply.
–noun
3. the meaning, import, or sense: the main purport of your letter.
4. purpose; intention; object






















“Why the long face?”
He asks,
The purported trinket still in hand
- She won’t touch it –
“It doesn’t even look so cheap!”

She reaches out,
- Finally -
Stroking the beast in ginger sweeps,
Tears in her eyes.

Digging his grave
He insists,
“Not cheap, not cheap at all, even…”
She tosses her head
Does she agree? Doesn’t she?

The words spill out
- At last -
A sad condemnation, a bare murmur
A slow exhalation.

“Ivory.”


The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Peregrinate

PEREGRINATE

–verb (used without object)
1. to travel or journey, especially to walk on foot.
–verb (used with object)
2. to travel or walk over; traverse.






















Sullen clouds peregrinate above
Eating the sky’s fabric as they go
Revealing old cables,
Plenty of dust,
An half eaten sandwich
A dried out marker
And a surprised puppeteer
Tangled in its own web

Hesitation

HESITATION

–noun
1. the act of hesitating; a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear.
2. a state of doubt or uncertainty.
3. a halting or faltering in speech.






















We glide
Opposites yet bound
A few steps this way
Or the other
On tip toe
Ready to fly off
To depart from that dance
That is courting
Hesitation.

Hydrophobia

HYDROPHOBIA

–noun
1. rabies.
2. an abnormal or unnatural dread of water.






















Dead flowers
In a vase
Full
Of water.
I worry they might have suffered from acute hydrophobia...

Locum

LOCUM

-noun
A person filling in for another, especially for a doctor or clergyman.



When away from home
Get by, making use
Of furry locum
Cuddle therapists

Behold

BEHOLD

–verb (used with object)
1. to observe; look at; see.
–interjection
2. look; see























Behold
The wall
Crawling with
Tattered
Mute wings
Vanished words
Howling
Calling
To the winds.

Cattywampus

CATTYWAMPUS
(Midland and Southern US) - also spelled “catawampus”

–adj.
1. askew; awry.
2. positioned diagonally; cater-cornered.
–adv.
3. diagonally; obliquely



Catty Wampus
Wasn’t a platypus
Despite the waddling
And the rumpus
But she did love
Doing things her way,
Cattywampus.

Platypus from the LIFE image archive and background picture (Davy Crockett's marriage contract) is public domain

Kilogram

KILOGRAM

–noun
1. a unit of mass equal to 1000 grams: the base International System unit of mass, equal to the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram, a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in Sèvres, France. Abbreviation: kg
2. a unit of force and weight, equal to the force that produces an acceleration of 9.80665 meters per second per second when acting on a mass of one kilogram. Abbreviation: kg



She was in his debt
And therefore in his clutch
Would he ask for a pound of flesh?
His lust for money was...
Astronomical
His desire for a bond
Strongest still.
The request was for a kilogram.
Of kisses.

The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Faucet

FAUCET

–noun
any device for controlling the flow of liquid from a pipe or the like by opening or closing an orifice; tap; cock.






















Your words
Faucets playing on my nerves
Strangling, liberating
Alternatively
For your utmost amusement.