Friday 31 August 2018

Contabescence

CONTABESCENCE
[ˌkɒntəˈbɛsəns]

-noun
1. (botany) . (of an anther) the condition of being unable to produce pollen
2. (obsolete) . the act of decaying










He sits on a bench
Contemplating his contabescence
Forgetting who he is
And which colour were
His one love's eyes 

Thursday 30 August 2018

Deteriorate

DETERIORATE

-verb
1. to make or become worse or lower in quality, value, character, etc.; depreciate
2. (intr.) to wear away or disintegrate

























There we are
Standing around the mental parts of sight.
At the background of fate,
The fall of windows each marked by some old sky
Deteriorating as a flame leaves
Each street sunk and gritty around the edges

Of a common storm 

Wednesday 29 August 2018

Future

FUTURE

-noun
1. the time yet to come
2. undetermined events that will occur in that time
3. the condition of a person or thing at a later date
4. likelihood of later improvement or advancement
5. (grammar)
a. a tense of verbs used when the action or event described is to occur after the time of utterance
b. a verb in this tense
-adj.
6. that is yet to come or be
7. of or expressing time yet to come
8. (prenominal) destined to become
9. (grammar) . in or denoting the future as a tense of verbs
























Three dots floating
Over water, future
Uncertain and questions

Open or unasked

Tuesday 28 August 2018

Income

INCOME

-noun
1. the amount of monetary or other returns, either earned or unearned, accruing over a given period of time
2. receipts; revenue
3. (rare) . an inflow or influx

























Fishing for an income
In the rainy morning
Hoping for a hot drink

Monday 27 August 2018

Title

TITLE

-noun
1. the distinctive name of a work of art, musical, or literary composition, etc.
2. a descriptive name, caption, or heading of a section of a book, speech, etc.
3. a name or epithet signifying rank, office, or function
4. a formal designation, such as Mr, Mrs, or Miss
5. an appellation designating nobility
6. (cinema)
a.  short for subtitle
b. written material giving credits in a film or television programme
7. (sport) . a championship
8. (property law)
a. the legal right to possession of property in particular real property
b. the basis of such right
c. the documentary evidence of such right
9. (law)
a. the heading or a division of a statute, book of law, etc.
b. the heading of a suit or action at law
10. any customary or established right
11. a claim based on a customary or established right
12. a definite spiritual charge or office in the church, without appointment to which a candidate for holy orders cannot lawfully be ordained
13. (Roman Catholic Church) . a titular church
-verb
14. (trans.) to give a title to











The story ends
In a little while
Leaving titles standing
Awaiting decay












Sunday 26 August 2018

Jacknife


 JACKKNIFE

-noun
1. a knife with the blade pivoted to fold into a recess in the handle
2. a former name for a type of dive in which the diver bends at the waist in mid-air, with the legs straight and the hands touching the feet, finally straightening out and entering the water headfirst: forward pike dive
-verb (intr.)
3. (of an articulated lorry) to go out of control in such a way that the trailer swings round at an angle to the cab
4. to make a jackknife dive











Cutting through summer
Honey with a jackknife
Dreams staining its blade


Saturday 25 August 2018

Fuss

FUSS

-noun
1. nervous activity or agitation, in particular if disproportionate or unnecessary
2. complaint or objection
3. an exhibition of affection or admiration, especilaly if excessive
4. a quarrel; dispute
-verb
5. (intr.) to worry unnecessarily
6. (intr.) to be excessively concerned over trifles
7. (when intr., usually followed by “over”) to show great or excessive concern, affection, etc. (for)
8. (intr.; followed by “with”) (Jamaican) . to quarrel violently
9. (trans.) to bother (a person)











Refusing to be ignored
She demands a fuss
And will not be denied

Friday 24 August 2018

Menology

MENOLOGY

-noun
1. an ecclesiastical calendar of the months
2. (Eastern Churches) . a liturgical book containing the lives of the saints arranged by months











Seek the dreams
Of torn menology
Across the walls
Of urban fog


Street art by ExVotoFecit

Thursday 23 August 2018

Keck

KECK

-verb (intr.) (mainly US)
1. to retch or feel nausea
2. to feel or express disgust

-noun
another name for cow parsnip, cow parsley











White pages
Made her keck
And write quicker
To fill a void
In her mind

Wednesday 22 August 2018

Ritual

RITUAL

-noun
1. the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony
2. such prescribed forms in general or collectively
3. stereotyped activity or behaviour
4. (psychology) . any repetitive behaviour, such as hand-washing, performed by a person with a compulsive personality disorder
5. any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently
-adj.
6. of, relating to, or characteristic of religious, social, or other rituals











A tribute
Ritual blood
Painted over walls
To curry favours


Tuesday 21 August 2018

Extol

EXTOL

-verb
(trans.) to praise lavishly; exalt











Fire
Extols night
As its best friend
And accomplice

Monday 20 August 2018

Equivocate

EQUIVOCATE

-verb
(intr.) to use vague or ambiguous language, in particular in order to avoid speaking directly or honestly; hedge









A rave party
In the clouds
Equivocates
A tomorrow
Of shadows

Sunday 19 August 2018

Jackfruit


JACKFRUIT

-noun
1. a tropical Asian moraceous tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus
2. the edible fruit of this tree, which resembles breadfruit and can weigh up to 27 kilograms












Mock viands
Carved from jackfruit
Vegetarian tremours 

Saturday 18 August 2018

Contumely

CONTUMELY
[ˈkɒntjʊmɪlɪ]

-noun
1. scornful or insulting language or behaviour
2. a humiliating or scornful insult












My advances
Met with contumely
By strays

Friday 17 August 2018

Value

VALUE

-noun
1. the desirability of a thing, often in respect of some property such as usefulness or exchangeability; worth, merit, or importance
2. an amount, in particular material or monetary, considered to be a fair exchange in return for a thing; assigned valuation
3. reasonable or equivalent return; satisfaction
4. precise meaning or significance
5. (plural) . the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group
6. (mathematics)
a. a particular magnitude, number, or amount
b. the particular quantity that is the result of applying a function or operation for some given argument
7. (music) .  short for time value
8. (in painting, drawing, etc.)
a. a gradation of tone from light to dark or of colour luminosity
b. the relation of one of these elements to another or to the whole picture
9. (phonetics) the quality or tone of the speech sound associated with a written character representing it
-verb (trans.)
10. to assess or estimate the worth, merit, or desirability of; appraise
11. to have a high regard for, in particular in respect of worth, usefulness, merit, etc.; esteem or prize
12. (followed by “at”) to fix the financial or material worth of (a unit of currency, work of art, etc.)











Morning light
Skewed values


Thursday 16 August 2018

Prospective

PROSPECTIVE

-adj.
1. looking towards the future
2. (prenominal) anticipated or likely

























Slanted and skewed
A prospective
Perspective

Distorted by glass 

Wednesday 15 August 2018

Granular

GRANULAR

-adj.
1. of, like, containing, or resembling a granule or granules
2. having a grainy or granulated surface
























Grasping for a granular mirage
Of gritty reality, smudged make-up
Hoping to find crumbs of truth

Fading into darkness instead

Tuesday 14 August 2018

Avail

AVAIL

-verb
1. to be of use, advantage, profit, or assistance (to)
-noun
2. use or advantage

























Flowers and décor
Demand avail
Of clever contraptions

Monday 13 August 2018

Contumacy

CONTUMACY

-noun
1. obstinate and wilful rebelliousness or resistance to authority; insubordination; disobedience
2. the wilful refusal of a person to appear before a court or to comply with a court order

























Find the cutest
Contumacy
In kawaii street art

Sunday 12 August 2018

Meringue

MERINGUE

-noun
1. stiffly beaten egg whites mixed with sugar and baked, often as a topping for pies, cakes, etc.
2. a small cake or shell of this mixture, often filled with cream


























Emancipated
From the usual
Meringue is flat
And trendy

Saturday 11 August 2018

Pantomime

PANTOMIME

-noun
1. a theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, often produced around Christmas.
2. a dramatic entertainment, originating in Roman mime, in which performers express meaning through gestures accompanied by music.
-verb
3. express or represent by exaggerated mime.


























The will to be cuddled
Wrapped in a pantomime
The belly trap is sprung

Friday 10 August 2018

Colophon

COLOPHON

-noun
1. a publisher's emblem on a book
2. (formerly) an inscription at the end of a book showing the title, printer, date, etc.























She chooses her
Place of rest
By colophon
Knowing there will
Be more room
For her dreams

Thursday 9 August 2018

Acclivity

ACCLIVITY

-noun
an upward slope, in particular of the ground


























A balloon
To fight gravity
And acclivity’s challenge
Aiming towards
The exit

Wednesday 8 August 2018

Acclimatize

ACCLIMATIZE

-verb
to adapt or become accustomed to a new climate or environment
























The lion sun
Has acclamatized
To its new quarters
Melting the North

Tuesday 7 August 2018

Scriptory

SCRIPTORY

-adj.
of or relating to writing


















A house
Of scriptory delights
Celebrates the raven wings
Of poetry


Monday 6 August 2018

Finitude

FINITUDE

-noun
(formal) the quality or state of being finite or limited

























A white line on the road
Carries the illusion
Of shifting finitude
A field entering forms
Alongside depression

Sunday 5 August 2018

Insipid

INSIPID

-adj.
1. lacking spirit; boring
2. lacking taste; unpalatable

























Red peppers
Fish belly and chorizo
Should have been anything

But insipid

Saturday 4 August 2018

Apathy

APATHY

-noun
1. absence of interest in or enthusiasm for things generally considered interesting or moving
2. absence of emotion


























It’s too warm
For anything but apathy
Even in the face
Of a prospective fuss

Friday 3 August 2018

Brilliance

BRILLIANCE

-noun
1. great brightness; radiance
2. excellence or distinction in physical or mental ability; exceptional talent
3. splendour; magnificence
4. (physics) .  a former term for luminance
















Three dots
Granular brilliance
Marking a wish for holidays

And a lack of commitment

Thursday 2 August 2018

Outburst

OUTBURST

-noun
1. a sudden and violent expression of emotion
2. an explosion or eruption
























She argues
In brief outbursts
Of expletives
Her right to be

Here


Wednesday 1 August 2018

Mime

MIME

-noun
1. the theatrical technique of expressing an idea or mood or portraying a character entirely by gesture and bodily movement without the use of words
2. a performer specializing in such a technique
3. a dramatic presentation using such a technique
4. (in the classical theatre)
a. a comic performance depending for effect largely on exaggerated gesture and physical action
b. an actor in such a performance
-verb
5. to express (an idea) in actions or gestures without speech
6. (of singers or musicians) to perform as if singing (a song) or playing (a piece of music) that is actually pre-recorded

























In the face of strangers
They mime their knowledge
Or resort to crude Latin

In an attempt at Esperanto