Tuesday 31 December 2013

Lustre

LUSTRE

-noun
1. reflected light; sheen; gloss
2. radiance or brilliance of light
3. great splendour of accomplishment, beauty, etc.
4. a substance used to polish or put a gloss on a surface
5. a vase or chandelier from which hang cut-glass drops
6. a drop-shaped piece of cut glass or crystal used as a decoration on a chandelier, vase, etc.
7. a shiny metallic surface on some pottery and porcelain
8. (mineralogy) the way in which light is reflected from the surface of a mineral. It is one of the properties by which minerals are defined
-verb
9. to make, be, or become lustrous

















A little seasonal lustre
Showing the way into the future
But who will pay the bill?

Monday 30 December 2013

Tittup

TITTUP

-verb
1. (intr.) to prance or frolic

-noun
2. a caper
3. the sound made by high-heeled shoes


















Clear in the sky
Balloons tittup
Safely out of reach


Sunday 29 December 2013

Octopus

OCTOPUS

-noun
1. any cephalopod mollusc of the genera Octopus, Eledone, etc,. having a soft oval body with eight long suckered tentacles and occurring at the sea bottom: order Octopoda (octopods)
2. a powerful influential organization with far-reaching effects, especially harmful ones






















A few tentacles at a time
The mighty octopus looks harmless
And utterly delicious

Saturday 28 December 2013

Peltry

PELTRY

-noun
the pelts of animals collectively






















He is an ensign
For the art of peltry
All fluff against
Winter's frosts

Friday 27 December 2013

Suppletory

SUPPLETORY

-adj.
Archaic . remedying deficiencies; supplementary

















In
Vain
My hands
Close on stone
Looking for caress
For suppletory love and warmth
Winter has robbed it
Of solace
Passion
And
Hope


Thursday 26 December 2013

Lamina

LAMINA

-noun
a thin plate or layer, especially of bone or mineral
(botany) the flat blade of a leaf, petal, or thallus



















Street paintings
Faint lamina of art
Soon whitewashed over

Wednesday 25 December 2013

Crosshatch

CROSSHATCH

-verb
(drawing) to shade or hatch (forms, figures, etc.) with two or more sets of parallel lines that cross one another

















This is my life
Crosshatched into shade
Still holding on

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Quango

QUANGO

-noun
a semi-public government-financed administrative body whose members are appointed by the government






















I once worked for a quango
But it was a lifetime away
Now I am looking at the horizon
And wonder if any of this was true

Monday 23 December 2013

Pretence

PRETENCE

-noun
1. the act of pretending
2. a false display; affectation
3. a claim, especially a false one, to a right, title, or distinction
4. make-believe or feigning
5. a false claim or allegation; pretext






















There is much pretence
In this, the local wine
But the vines are so pretty

Sunday 22 December 2013

Coffee

COFFEE

-noun
1. a drink consisting of an infusion of the roasted and ground or crushed seeds of the coffee tree
2. Also called: coffee beans. the bean-like seeds of the coffee tree, used to make this beverage
3. a medium to dark brown colour

















Mornings magic brew
Coffee in many forms
(I still prefer tea)

Saturday 21 December 2013

Wiseacre



WISEACRE

-noun
1. a person who wishes to seem wise
2. a wise person: often used facetiously or contemptuously






















His pretence
His stance as a wiseacre
All fade in a sunbeam


Friday 20 December 2013

Compluvium



COMPLUVIUM

-noun
(Roman history) . an unroofed space over the atrium in a Roman house, through which rain fell and was collected






















She pushes out, eager
To meet the compluvium
Begging for rain


Thursday 19 December 2013

Metamorphosis



METAMORPHOSIS

-noun
1. a complete change of physical form or substance
2. a complete change of character, appearance, etc.
3. a person or thing that has undergone metamorphosis
4. (zoology) the rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in certain animals, for example the stage between tadpole and frog or between chrysalis and butterfly
























The weather oscillates like this
Tempted by the notion of metamorphosis
From sunny into cloudy into diluvium
In just the time of a heart beat