Saturday 31 March 2018

Verminous

VERMINOUS

-adj.
relating to, infested with, or suggestive of vermin
























She was most upset
When I called her verminous
Since she was only dirty

Thursday 29 March 2018

Shindig

SHINDIG

-noun (informal)
1. a noisy party, dance, etc.

2. also called shindy (a quarrel or commotion)
























When you’ve had a shindig
And end up feeling cold and like
A lump of stone the day after

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Oblong

OBLONG

-adj.
1. having an elongated, in particular if rectangular, shape
-noun
2. a figure or object having this shape

























In an oblong ornate hell
Dante festers and cries

For the love of Beatrice

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Propound

PROPOUND

-verb (trans.)
1. to suggest or put forward for consideration
2. (English law)
a. to produce (a will or similar instrument) to the proper court or authority in order for its validity to be established
b. (of an executor) to bring (an action to obtain probate) in solemn form

























Montage and trucage
Propound a lack of originality
Mindless games 


Dali effect by PhotoFunia

Monday 26 March 2018

Trample

TRAMPLE

-verb (when intr., usually followed by “on”, “upon”, or “over”)
1. to stamp or walk roughly (on)
2. to encroach (upon) so as to violate or hurt
-noun
3. the action or sound of trampling
















That long agony
When night tramples over day
Bruising it quite viciously

For our delight

Sunday 25 March 2018

Lent

LENT

-noun
1. (Christianity) . the period of forty weekdays lasting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, observed as a time of penance and fasting commemorating Jesus' fasting in the wilderness
3. (plural) (at Cambridge University) Lent term boat races

























Lashes aren’t compulsory
(And awkward in the kitchen)
But greens are offered in penitence
Imposed by and for Lent
By someone who obviously never knew
About their lush appeal

Saturday 24 March 2018

Idle

IDLE

-adj.
1. unemployed or unoccupied; inactive
2. not operating or being used
3. (of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends
4. not wanting to work; lazy
5. (usually prenominal) frivolous or trivial
6. ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain
7. without basis; unfounded
-verb
8. (when trans., often followed by “away”) to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively
9. (intr.) to loiter or move aimlessly
10. (intr.) (of a shaft, engine, etc.) to turn without doing useful work
11. (intr.) (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged
12. (trans.) (US and Canadian) to cause to be inactive or unemployed
















I would not call him idle
Not now, not ever,
Just parsimonious in his moves










Friday 23 March 2018

Invigorate

INVIGORATE

-verb
(trans.) to give vitality and vigour to; animate; brace; refresh

























March rains
Invigorate the mind
Flush rivers

Court flowers

Thursday 22 March 2018

Transcend

TRANSCEND

-verb
1. to go above or beyond (a limit, expectation, etc.), as in degree or excellence
2. (trans.) to be superior to
3. (philosophy), (theology) . to exist beyond (the material world)

























They travel
Dream and survey the world
To transcend humanity
Paste over the cracks

Of civilization’s thin varnish

Wednesday 21 March 2018

Vermiculate

VERMICULATE

-verb [vɜːˈmɪkjʊˌleɪt ]
1. (trans.) to decorate with wavy or wormlike tracery or markings
-adj. [vɜːˈmɪkjʊlɪt  , -ˌleɪt]
2. vermicular; sinuous
3. worm-eaten or appearing as if worm-eaten
4. (of thoughts, etc.) insinuating; subtly tortuous
















Unscrupulous thoughts
Unsnarl vermiculate notions
Cursed lovers pine for reprieve

But reflections still show no remorse

Street art by My Dog Sighs 

Tuesday 20 March 2018

Hysteria

HYSTERIA

-noun
1. a mental disorder characterized by emotional outbursts, susceptibility to autosuggestion, and, often, symptoms such as paralysis that mimic the effects of physical disorders

2. any frenzied emotional state, in particular one involving laughing or crying


















Rock stars and
Fetching romantic figures
Harbinger of hysteria
And lost knickers

Monday 19 March 2018

Edict

EDICT

-noun
1. a decree, order, or ordinance issued by a sovereign, state, or any other holder of authority
2. any formal or authoritative command, proclamation, etc.

























Here we are, standing against an edict
A cauldron of snarled emotions
Shaking our fists towards the sun
Hoping to attract the eye of history


Gallery effect from PhotoFunia


Sunday 18 March 2018

Root

ROOT

-noun
1. the organ of a higher plant that anchors the rest of the plant in the ground, absorbs water and mineral salts from the soil, and does not bear leaves or buds
2. any plant part, such as a rhizome or tuber, that is similar to a root in structure, function, or appearance
3. the essential, fundamental, or primary part or nature of something
4. (anatomy) the embedded portion of a tooth, nail, hair, etc.
5. origin or derivation, esp as a source of growth, vitality, or existence
6. (plural) a person's sense of belonging in a community, place, etc. in particular the one in which he was born or brought up
7. an ancestor or antecedent
8. (Bible) . a descendant
9. the form of a word that remains after removal of all affixes; a morpheme with lexical meaning that is not further sub-divisible into other morphemes with lexical meaning
10. (mathematics) . a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself a certain number of times equals a given number or quantity
11. a number that when substituted for the variable satisfies a given equation
12. (music) . (in harmony) the note forming the foundation of a chord
13. (Australian and New Zealand) (slang) sexual intercourse
-verb
14. (intr.) to put forth or establish a root and begin to grow
15. (intr.) to become established, embedded, or effective
17. (trans.) to fix or embed with or as if with a root or roots
18. (Australian and New Zealand) (slang) to have sexual intercourse (with)

-verb (intr.)
1. (of a pig) to burrow in or dig up the earth in search of food, using the snout
2. (followed by “about”, “around”, “in”, etc.) (informal) to search vigorously but unsystematically

-verb
(intr.) (usually followed by “for”) (informal) to give support to (a contestant, team, etc.), as by cheering


























Rooting

For winter roots

Saturday 17 March 2018

Impermanent

IMPERMANENT

-adj.
not permanent; fleeting; transitory

























Her cough reminds me

That all is impermanent

Friday 16 March 2018

Approximation

APPROXIMATION

-noun
1. the process or result of making a rough calculation, estimate, or guess
2. an imprecise or unreliable record or version
3. (mathematics) . an inexact number, relationship, or theory that is sufficiently accurate for a specific purpose
4. (mathematics)
a. an estimate of the value of some quantity to a desired degree of accuracy
b. an expression in simpler terms than a given expression which approximates to it

























Pi is such an odd number
It feels like an approximation
Not a mere ratio for a circumference
Of a given circle to its diameter



Thursday 15 March 2018

Extant

EXTANT

-adj.
1. still in existence; surviving
2. (archaic) standing out; protruding

















I
Dreamt
Extant
Sites anew
Old decayed splendours
Adorned glory
Crumbling down
Again
To

Sleep

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Subterfuge

SUBTERFUGE

-noun
a stratagem employed to conceal something, evade an argument, etc.

























Books on the shelf from the fields of mankind
At large, white and deadly
Their paper stars starting to blush
The cold streams of simple lines
A subterfuge in the lost battle
For knowledge or pleasure

Taken away from our dream country




Tuesday 13 March 2018

Eidetic

EIDETIC

-adj. 
(psychology)
1. (of visual, or sometimes auditory, images) exceptionally vivid and allowing detailed recall of something previously perceived: thought to be common in children
2. relating to or subject to such imagery

























Of her childhood by the sea
She recalled the delicate
Deliberate architecture
Of trees in eidetic details
Each needle painfully in place

Each bark scale hiding a thought



Monday 12 March 2018

Wince

WINCE

-verb
1. (intr.) to start slightly, as with sudden pain; flinch
- noun
2. the act of wincing

-noun
a roller for transferring pieces of cloth between dyeing vats





The wall is white
And the decayed monster
Stares in to the void

Daring it to wince first










Sunday 11 March 2018

Pizza

PIZZA

-noun
a dish of Italian origin consisting of a baked disc of dough, usually covered with cheese and tomatoes,  and/or with a variety of toppings (mushrooms, anchovies, artichokes, sausage, ham, etc.).
























A quick dish with you
Romance in cheese and cardboard box
Sunday evening Pizza

Like Mamma never used to make

Saturday 10 March 2018

Shed

SHED

-noun
1. a small building or lean-to of light construction, used for storage, shelter, etc.
2. a large roofed structure, in particular one with open sides, used for storage, repairs, sheep shearing, etc.
3. a large retail outlet in the style of a warehouse
4. (New Zealand) another name for freezing works
-verb
5. (trans.) (New Zealand) to store (hay or wool) in a shed

-verb (mainly trans.)
1. to pour forth or cause to pour forth
2. to cast off or lose
3. (of a lorry) to drop (its load) on the road by accident
4. to abolish or get rid of (jobs, workers, etc.)
5. to repel
6. (also intr.) (in weaving) to form an opening between (the warp threads) in order to permit the passage of the shuttle
7. (trans.) (dialect) . to make a parting in (the hair)
-noun
8. (weaving) the space made by shedding
9. (mainly Scottish) a parting in the hair

-verb
1. (trans.) to separate or divide off (some farm animals) from the remainder of a group
-noun
2. (of a dog) the action of separating farm animals


























Here she comes
For the kill
(or a the very least for the shed)
Determined to have it her way



Friday 9 March 2018

Flutter

FLUTTER

-verb
1. to wave or cause to wave rapidly; flap
2. (intr.) (of birds, butterflies, etc.) to flap the wings
3. (intr.) to move, in particular downwards, with an irregular motion
4. (intr.) (pathology) . (of the auricles of the heart) to beat abnormally rapidly, in particular in a regular rhythm
5. to be or make nervous or restless
6. (intr.) to move about restlessly
7. (swimming) . to cause (the legs) to move up and down in a flutter kick or (of the legs) to move in this way
8. (trans.) (British) (informal) to wager or gamble (a small amount of money)
-noun
9. a quick flapping or vibrating motion
10. a state of nervous excitement or confusion
11. excited interest; sensation; stir
12. (British) (informal) a modest bet or wager
13. (pathology) . an abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (200 to 400 beats per minute), in particular in a regular rhythm, sometimes resulting in heart block
14. (electronics) . a slow variation in pitch in a sound-reproducing system, similar to wow but occurring at higher frequencies
15. a potentially dangerous oscillation of an aircraft, or part of an aircraft, caused by the interaction of aerodynamic forces, structural elastic reactions, and inertia
16. swimming flutter kick
17. a method of sounding a wind instrument (like a flute), with a rolling movement of the tongue. Also called: flutter tonguing music

























Moved by inner music
They flutter in the wind
Dreaming of almonds

Dressed in soft velvet

Thursday 8 March 2018

Response

RESPONSE

-noun
1. the act of responding; reply or reaction
2. (bridge) . a bid replying to a partner's bid or double
3. (usually plural) (Christianity) . a short sentence or phrase recited or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant at a church service
4. (electronics) . the ratio of the output to the input level, at a particular frequency, of a transmission line or electrical device

5. any pattern of glandular, muscular, or electrical reactions that arises from stimulation of the nervous system

















Silence is an echo of your soul:
When you're not here,
I learn how things are built beyond ideas
In the absence of you,
In the absence of a response
Unable to seek my voice in yours
I develop wings to flee

Wednesday 7 March 2018

Skirl

SKIRL

-verb (intr.)
1. (Scottish and Northern England dialect) to emit a shrill sound
2. to play the bagpipes
-noun
3. the sound of bagpipes

4. a shrill sound


In the night
The skirl of wind
Tells a tale of woe
And a banshee’s despair

Tuesday 6 March 2018

Propone

PROPONE

-verb

(Scottish) .to propose or put forward, in particular before a court


















You
I propone
You are all
All else is a barren field.

Monday 5 March 2018

Carious

CARIOUS

-adj.
(mostly of teeth or bone) affected with caries; decayed. Also: cariose

























Leftover carious
Snow banks melting
Peppered with sand

From far deserts

Sunday 4 March 2018

Oxalis

OXALIS

-noun
any plant of the genus Oxalis, having clover-like leaves which contain oxalic acid, like wood sorrel.

























Stray plant
Invading our pots
Oxalis, yes,

But edible?

Saturday 3 March 2018

Ornery

ORNERY

-adj.
(US and Canadian) (dialect) (informal)
1. stubborn or vile-tempered
2. low; treacherous

3. ordinary

























Today
He feels
Ornery
We find him
Ornery


Friday 2 March 2018

Gist

GIST

-noun
1. the point or substance of an argument, speech, etc.

2. (law) . the essential point of an action
























Along with winter,
I have lost the gist
Not remembering
Who we are anymore
Or what we are even




Thursday 1 March 2018

Awning

AWNING

-noun

a roof of canvas or other material supported by a frame to provide protection from the weather, in particular that placed over a doorway or part of a deck (on a ship)


















Nature shivers
Under a white awning
Keeping its treasures close
Hoping to survive