Tuesday 31 January 2017

Institution


INSTITUTION

-noun
1. the act of instituting
2. an organization or establishment founded for a specific purpose, such as a hospital, church, company, or college
3. the building where such an organization is situated
4. an established custom, law, or relationship in a society or community
5. a large organization, such as an insurance company, bank, or pension fund, that has substantial sums to invest on a stock exchange (also called: institutional investor)
6. (informal) . a constant feature or practice
7. the appointment or admission of an incumbent to an ecclesiastical office or pastoral charge
8. (Christian theology) . the creation of a sacrament by Christ, especially the Eucharist


























A warden of strictly true rest
He, a prisoner of a book that is
Resisting distortion of the past
Classic sentimental soiling
Of an adult institution against dreams

Protests silence.

Monday 30 January 2017

Instructive

INSTRUCTIVE

-adj.
serving to instruct or enlighten; conveying information


























A monochrome artist count their pictures
Besides cross-worlds architecture

So instructive that the few were considered alien











Sunday 29 January 2017

Capon

CAPON

-noun
1. a castrated cock fowl fattened for eating
2. (informal) a figurative insult



















The capon who made this broth possible

Was a most noble and respectable beast

Saturday 28 January 2017

Smarm

SMARM

-verb
1. (trans.; often followed by “down”) to flatten (the hair, etc) with cream or grease
2. (when intr., followed by “up to”) to ingratiate oneself (with)
-noun

3. obsequious flattery


























He flopped on the side
Too engrossed with sunshine
To be bothered with smarming up to
Mere human beings

Friday 27 January 2017

Bright


BRIGHT

-adj.
1. emitting or reflecting much light; shining
2. (of colours) intense or vivid
-noun
3. a thin flat paintbrush with a straight sharp edge used for highlighting in oil painting
4. (poetic) brightness or splendour
-adv.
5. brightly


























The dead were hanging out
Shining their bright blood across
A brave bright sky
The sun holding still
So I curled up and went to sleep

Stained paper in a bowl

Thursday 26 January 2017

Person

PERSON

-noun
1. an individual human being
2. the body of a human being, sometimes including his or her clothing
3. a grammatical category into which pronouns and forms of verbs are subdivided depending on whether they refer to the speaker, the person addressed, or some other individual, thing, etc.
4. a human being or a corporation recognized in law as having certain rights and obligations
5. (philosophy) . a being characterized by consciousness, rationality, and a moral sense, and traditionally thought of as consisting of both a body and a mind or soul
6. archaic a character or role; guise



























A no person,
and only the heart could be
- perhaps live -

in promises drawn to see.

Wednesday 25 January 2017

Pinnacle

PINNACLE

-noun
1. the highest point or level, especially of fame, success, etc.
2. a towering peak, as of a mountain
3. a slender upright structure in the form of a cone, pyramid, or spire on the top of a buttress, gable, or tower
-verb (trans.)
4. to set on or as if on a pinnacle
5. to furnish with a pinnacle or pinnacles

6. to crown with a pinnacle

























A one, an art, and an adult, a female boy, a rose, an angel fair as a pinnacle of blueberries and three shadows like a fresh sand draped in the waters of the tree-leaf brown.

(words generated with Ross Goodwin's magnificent Word.Camera application, in reply to the photo prompt)





Tuesday 24 January 2017

Induce

INDUCE

-verb (trans.)
1. (often followed by an infinitive) to persuade or use influence on
2. to cause or bring about
3. (medicine) . to initiate or hasten (labour), as by administering a drug to stimulate uterine contractions
4. (logic) (obsolete) . to assert or establish (a general proposition, hypothesis, etc.) by induction
5. to produce (an electromotive force or electrical current) by induction
6. to transmit (magnetism) by induction


























Fractured lines
Uncertain probabilities
Can induce us into seeing

The alien in the mundane

Monday 23 January 2017

Inference

INFERENCE


-noun
1. the act or process of inferring
2. an inferred conclusion, deduction, etc.
3. any process of reasoning from premises to a conclusion
4. logic the specific mode of reasoning used.

















when his miserable fatality 
fell upon the afternoon
it lost its effect, the nervous fancy of youth, 
that he had to destroy 
for the inference of modern times.
"




Found poem using a prompt from Ross Goodwin’s Text Clock

Sunday 22 January 2017

Ambrosial

AMBROSIAL

-adj.
1. of or fit for the gods; divine
2. like ambrosia; delicious; fragrant


























Delicate yet ambrosial

Faux-light indulgence

Saturday 21 January 2017

Podgy

PODGY

-adj.
short and fat; chubby


























He reaches a little and rolls around
His podgy fluff exposed to
The fire in the sky
He claims big bones and fur

His is still a little shadow.

Friday 20 January 2017

Pursuit

PURSUIT

-noun
1. the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after
2. an occupation, hobby, or pastime
3. (in cycling) a race in which the riders set off at intervals along the track and attempt to overtake each other



Winter was a cheap still gone path
For the weary woman with a rainbow for a dream
An angel in pursuit for singing grass
The blood of her soul coming in
With a delicate vermilion freshness.


Thursday 19 January 2017

Walk

WALK

-verb
1. (intr.) to move along or travel on foot at a moderate rate; advance in such a manner that at least one foot is always on the ground
2. (trans.) to pass through, on, or over on foot, especially habitually
3. (trans.) to cause, assist, or force to move along at a moderate rate
4. (trans.) to escort or conduct by walking
5. (intr.) (of ghosts, spirits, etc.) to appear or move about in visible form
6. (of inanimate objects) to move or cause to move in a manner that resembles walking
7. (intr.) to follow a certain course or way of life
8. (trans.) to bring into a certain condition by walking
9. (trans.) to measure, survey, or examine by walking
10. (trans.) baseball to allow a batter to go to first base without batting by throwing four balls outside of the strike zone
11. Also: travel (intr.) basketball to take more than two steps without passing or dribbling the ball
12. to disappear or be stolen
13. (intr.) (slang, mainly US) (in a court of law) . to be acquitted or given a noncustodial sentence
-noun
14. the act or an instance of walking
15. the distance or extent walked
16. a manner of walking; gait
17. a place set aside for walking; promenade
18. a chosen profession or sphere of activity
19. a foot race in which competitors walk
20.
a. an arrangement of trees or shrubs in widely separated rows
b. the space between such rows
21. an enclosed ground for the exercise or feeding of domestic animals, especially horses
22. (mainly British) . the route covered in the course of work, as by a tradesman or postman
23. a procession; march
24. obsolete the section of a forest controlled by a keeper


























The sea is a heavy sun
To walk under
Salt burning like no tear
My world turning to crystal fog

All forgotten

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Snow

SNOW

-noun
1. precipitation from clouds in the form of flakes of ice crystals formed in the upper atmosphere
2. a layer of snowflakes on the ground
3. a fall of such precipitation
4. anything resembling snow in whiteness, softness, etc.
5. the random pattern of white spots on a television or radar screen, produced by noise in the receiver and occurring when the signal is weak or absent
6. (slang) . cocaine
-verb
7. (intr.; with “it” as subject) to be the case that snow is falling
8. (trans.; usually passive, followed by “over”, “under”, “in”, or “up”) to cover or confine with a heavy fall of snow
9. (often with “it” as subject) to fall or cause to fall as or like snow
10. (trans.) (US and Canadian) (slang) . to deceive or overwhelm with elaborate often insincere talk.



























The snow murmurs
Death is my presence, the great story of all
And a fall in the end of the world
For the sake of the ending storm.

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Gape

GAPE

-verb (intr.)
1. to stare in wonder or amazement, especially with the mouth open
2. to open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in yawning or hunger
3. to be or become wide open
-noun
4. the act of gaping
5. a wide opening; breach
6. the width of the widely opened mouth of a vertebrate

7. a stare or expression of astonishment

























An old gaping name on the couch,
A toothy garden figure driven across the shore,
Across the dangerous influence of any other compromise
Crucified on the wall
Forever screaming

Monday 16 January 2017

Clown

CLOWN

-noun
1. a comic entertainer, usually grotesquely costumed and made up, appearing in the circus
2. any performer who elicits an amused response
3. someone who plays jokes or tricks
4. a person who acts in a comic or buffoon-like manner
5. a coarse clumsy rude person; boor
6. (archaic) a countryman or rustic
-verb (intr.)
7. to perform as a clown
8. to play jokes or tricks
9. to act foolishly

























A man who clowns will never read 
Or ask the word
Or know the storm of heaven,
A vicious battle in a flower cast
A strange sea that drives the voice of water,

Both to light and shadow 

Sunday 15 January 2017

Nougat

NOUGAT

-noun
a hard chewy pink or white sweet containing chopped nuts, cherries, etc.

























The local dentists’ glee
Distributing nougat on sale

While upping their fees

Saturday 14 January 2017

Amiable

AMIABLE

-adj.
having or displaying a pleasant or agreeable nature; friendly

























Cute reality
Amiable as long as the angels fall
The indoors shark that you still love 

Friday 13 January 2017

Down

DOWN

-preposition
1. used to indicate movement from a higher to a lower position
2. at a lower or further level or position on, in, or along
-adv.
3. downwards; at or to a lower level or position
4. (particle) used with many verbs when the result of the verb's action is to lower or destroy its object
5. (particle) used with several verbs to indicate intensity or completion
6. immediately
7. on paper
8. arranged; scheduled
9. in a helpless position
10.
a. away from a more important place
b. away from a more northerly place
c. (of a member of some British universities) away from the university; on vacation
d. in a particular part of a country
11. nautical (of a helm) having the rudder to windward
12. reduced to a state of lack or want
13. lacking a specified amount
14. lower in price
15. including all intermediate terms, grades, people, etc.
16. from an earlier to a later time
17. to a finer or more concentrated state
18. sport being a specified number of points, goals, etc. behind another competitor, team, etc.
19. (of a person) being inactive, owing to illness
20. (functioning as imperative) (to dogs)
-adj.
21. (postpositive) depressed or miserable
22. (prenominal) of or relating to a train or trains from a more important place or one regarded as higher
23. (postpositive) (of a device, machine, etc., especially a computer) temporarily out of action
24. made in cash
-verb
25. (trans.) to knock, push, or pull down
26. (intr.) to go or come down
27. (trans.) informal to drink, especially quickly
28. (trans.) to bring (someone) down, especially by tackling
-noun
29. American football one of a maximum of four consecutive attempts by one team to advance the ball a total of at least ten yards
30. a descent; downward movement
31. a lowering or a poor period

-noun
1. the soft fine feathers with free barbs that cover the body of a bird and prevent loss of heat. In the adult they lie beneath and between the contour feathers
2. another name for eiderdown
3. botany a fine coating of soft hairs, as on certain leaves, fruits, and seeds
4. any growth or coating of soft fine hair, such as that on the human face

-noun
1. archaic a hill, especially a sand dune


























In this equilibrium
Exercise that is life
Down is dictated by gravity
Otherwise
We would fly away
Untethered angels

Giddy balloons

Thursday 12 January 2017

Necessary

NECESSARY

-adj.
1. needed to achieve a certain desired effect or result; required
2. resulting from necessity; inevitable
3. logic
a. (of a statement, formula, etc.) true under all interpretations or in all possible circumstances
b. (of a proposition) determined to be true by its meaning, so that its denial would be self-contradictory
c. (of a property) essential, so that without it its subject would not be the entity it is
d. (of an inference) always yielding a true conclusion when its premises are true; valid
e. (of a condition) entailed by the truth of some statement or the obtaining of some state of affairs.
4. (philosophy) (in a non-logical sense) expressing a law of nature (if it is necessary that all As are B, even although it is not contradictory to conceive of an A which is not B, we are licensed to infer that if something were an A it would have to be B)
5. (rare) compelled, as by necessity or law; not free
-noun
6. (informal) the necessary . the money required for a particular purpose


























We
All
Rush to
That well known
Necessary stage
Of slightly delayed inference
Gone in a blink then
Forgotten
Again
In

Time

Wednesday 11 January 2017

Role

ROLE

-noun
1. a part or character in a play, film, etc., to be played by an actor or actress
2. (psychology) . the part played by a person in a particular social setting, influenced by his expectation of what is appropriate
3. usual or customary function


























They wander
Through their role
Without a clue
Dreamers looking
For Truth

Yet blind to all

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Rent

RENT

-noun
1. a payment made periodically by a tenant to a landlord or owner for the occupation or use of land, buildings, or by a user for the use of other property, such as a telephone
2. economics
a. that portion of the national income accruing to owners of land and real property
b. the return derived from the cultivation of land in excess of production costs
-verb
3. (trans.) to grant (a person) the right to use one's property in return for periodic payments
4. (trans.) to occupy or use (property) in return for periodic payments
5. (intra.; often followed by “at”) to be let or rented (for a specified rental)

-noun
1. a slit or opening made by tearing or rending; tear
2. a breach or division, as in relations
-verb
3. the past tense and past participle of rend


























I went through
A rent in reality
Never raised
Yet onerous

For sanity

Monday 9 January 2017

Gate

GATE

-noun
1. a movable barrier, usually hinged, for closing an opening in a wall, fence, etc.
2. an opening to allow passage into or out of an enclosed place
3. any means of entrance or access
4. a mountain pass or gap, especially one providing entry into another country or region
5.
a. the number of people admitted to a sporting event or entertainment
b. the total entrance money received from them
6. (in a large airport) any of the numbered exits leading to the airfield or aircraft
7. (horse racing) . short for starting gate
8. electronics
a. a logic circuit having one or more input terminals and one output terminal, the output being switched between two voltage levels determined by the combination of input signals
b. a circuit used in radar that allows only a fraction of the input signal to pass
9. the electrode region or regions in a field-effect transistor that is biased to control the conductivity of the channel between the source and drain
10. a component in a motion-picture camera or projector that holds each frame flat and momentarily stationary behind the lens
11. a slotted metal frame that controls the positions of the gear lever in a motor vehicle
12. rowing a hinged clasp to prevent the oar from jumping out of a rowlock
13. a frame surrounding the blade or blades of a saw
-verb (trans.)
14. to provide with a gate or gates
15. (British) to restrict (a student) to the school or college grounds as a punishment
16. to select (part of a waveform) in terms of amplitude or time

-noun (dialect)
1. the channels by which molten metal is poured into a mould
2. the metal that solidifies in such channels

-noun (Scottish and Northern England dialect)
1. a way, road, street, or path
2. a way or method of doing something

























Hercules keeps watch
Over the gate to nothing
Forgotten hero freezing
His handsome buttocks

In the morning chill

Sunday 8 January 2017

Réchauffé

RÉCHAUFFÉ
[reʃofe]

-noun
1. warmed-up leftover food
2. old, stale, or reworked material















'










Not making French toast
(Too réchauffé for my taste)
Just toasted pandoro

Married to blue cheese

Saturday 7 January 2017

Caterwaul

CATERWAUL

-verb (intr.)
1. to make a yowling noise, as a cat on heat
-noun
2. a shriek or yell made by or sounding like a cat on heat


























She demands love
And relative protection
To the tune of caterwaul


Friday 6 January 2017

Senary

SENARY

-adj.

of or relating to the number six; having six parts or units




















On this
Senary day
Of the New Year
We worship cakes
And gifts

Thursday 5 January 2017

Book

BOOK

noun
1. a number of printed or written pages bound together along one edge and usually protected by thick paper or stiff pasteboard covers.
2. a written work or composition, such as a novel, technical manual, or dictionary
3. a number of blank or ruled sheets of paper bound together, used to record lessons, keep accounts, etc
4. (plural) a record of the transactions of a business or society
5. the script of a play or the libretto of an opera, musical, etc.
6. a major division of a written composition, as of a long novel or of the Bible
7. a number of tickets, sheets, stamps, etc., fastened together along one edge
8. (bookmaking) . a record of the bets made on a horse race or other event
9. (in card games) the number of tricks that must be taken by a side or player before any trick has a scoring value
10. strict or rigid regulations, rules, or standards
11. a source of knowledge or authority
12. a telephone directory
-verb
13. to reserve (a place, passage, etc.) or engage the services of (a performer, driver, etc.) in advance
14. (trans.) to take the name and address of (a person guilty of a minor offence) with a view to bringing a prosecution
15. (trans.) (of a football referee) to take the name of (a player) who grossly infringes the rules while playing, two such acts resulting in the player's dismissal from the field
16. (trans.) (archaic) . to record in a book


























Nothing compares
To the rapture
Of having a book


Wednesday 4 January 2017

Haughty

HAUGHTY

-adj.
1. having or showing arrogance
2. archaic noble or exalted
















His manners
Can be described as haughty

But not from all sides

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Hangover

HANGOVER

-noun
1. the delayed aftereffects of drinking too much alcohol in a relatively short period of time, characterized by headache and sometimes nausea and dizziness

2. a person or thing left over from or influenced by a past age

























In darkness
Looking for signs
Meaningful hangovers
That might explain
Our future

Monday 2 January 2017

Twinkle

TWINKLE

-verb (mainly intr.)
1. to emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; shine brightly and intermittently; sparkle
2. (of the eyes) to sparkle, especially with amusement or delight
3. rare to move about quickly
4. (also trans) (rare) to wink (the eyes); blink
-noun
5. an intermittent gleam of light; flickering brightness; sparkle or glimmer
6. an instant
7. a rare word for wink

























Reminder:
We are made of stardust
It's okay to twinkle


Sunday 1 January 2017

Tantalism

TANTALISM

-noun
(obsolete) . a form of punishment similar to or as severe as that suffered by Tantalus



























New year is upon on
With all its tantalism:
It will be cruel
So let us be kind
Love as much and
as many as you can.
Only this might save us.