Olfactory

OLFACTORY

adj.
Concerning the sense of smell.






















In the sun baked stones
I searched for olfactory evidence
Of a displaced world,
Civilizations away.

Crumpet

CRUMPET

noun
1.A type of savoury cake, typically flat and round, made from batter and yeast, containing many small holes, cooked on a griddle or the like and served toasted, usually with butter.
2.(UK, slang) A person considered sexually desirable.



On the mysteries of kitchen lore:
Making crumpets had proven more difficult
Than their namesakes had led him to believe.

Spadassinicide

SPADASSINICIDE

noun
1.The act of coaxing someone, usually through insult, into initiating a swordsman's duel, and subsequently killing them with superior skill.
2.One who performs such an act.




Eventually
The cats would bring the art of spadassinicide to a higher level
And leave their victims on our door mat as an act of bravado.

Wheedle

WHEEDLE

verb
1.To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.
2.To obtain something by guile or trickery.



We are entering darker days,
Where light needs to be wheedled away.
And smiles are painful.

Foozle

FOOZLE

noun
a clumsy or botched attempt at something, especially a shot in golf.
verb [with obj.]
botch; bungle




The screw-up fairy paid a call today and
Foozled all my efforts at poetry.
So I made you paper boats instead.

Callous

CALLOUS

Adj.
Lacking pity or mercy; unfeeling

















His callous approach to life
Had left her weighing little more than
A torn silhouette
Upon his wall.

Shanty

SHANTY

noun
1. A small crude shelter used as a dwelling.
2. A rhythmical work song originally sung by sailors.




Let’s sing the charms of derelict shanties
So picturesque under the light of holidays

Let’s not forget the people who live there.

Aquiline

AQUILINE

adj.
1. curved like an eagle's beak
2. of or like an eagle






















On top of the old volcano
Aquiline skeletons clawing at the sky
Remnant of flowers that were.

Salmagundi

SALMAGUNDI

noun
1.A food consisting of chopped meat and pickled herring, with oil, vinegar, pepper, and onions.
2.Any mixture of various ingredients; an olio or medley; a potpourri; a miscellany.






















Down the humid path
Nature's rich salmagundi
Titilates our nose.

Juggernaut

JUGGERNAUT

—noun
1. any large, overpowering, destructive force or object, as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.
2. anything requiring blind devotion or cruel sacrifice.
3. Also called Jagannath. An idol of Krishna, at Puri in Orissa, India, annually drawn on an enormous cart under whose wheels devotees are said to have thrown themselves to be crushed.




The diminutive juggernaut
Hacked her way through bad dreams
Tinned salmon and mighty mice
Defeated all the way.

Élan

ÉLAN

—noun,
dash; impetuous ardor: to dance with great élan.






















When I grew up, I thought “élan”
Was some sort of moose
And could not understand why
People said I had it
(at home, pets weren't allowed).

They've explained and I think I have it:
It's the moose doing all the driving.

Picture by René Beudin

Cabal

CABAL

noun
A secret group involved in plots and intrigues, usually aimed at the overthrow of a power structure.



A secret cabal was woven around his name,
Involving furry foes and world domination
(no less)
All he ever wanted was a cuddle.

Withhold

WITHHOLD

verb
1.To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving back to its owner.
2.To keep (information, etc.) to oneself rather than revealing.
3.To retain or keep back; not to grant.



I’d like to withhold the idea of life
Like a tulip on canvas
Rather than die in a vase
With tortured poses
Too elegant to be healthy.

Purr

PURR

verb
1. intr.
a. Of a cat or another feline animal: to make a low, continuous, vibratory sound taken to be expressive of satisfaction or pleasure.
b. Of a non-feline animal: to utter a sound resembling a cat's purr.

2. intr. In extended use.
a. Of a thing: to make a sound resembling a cat's purr, as that caused by rapid vibrations, boiling or bubbling liquid, the working of an engine, etc.
b. Of a person: to express chiefly pleasure or satisfaction by low, murmuring sounds; to speak in a low, soft voice, esp. seductively. Also: to behave in a self-satisfied or seductive manner.

3. trans.
To utter or express by purring; to say in a low, soft voice.






















I knew my dieting days were over
When I started to notice
Wicked chocolate bonbons purring at me.

Stymie

STYMIE

(verb)
To present an obstacle to; stand in the way of



He had planned all sorts of wonderful things
For later in his life
But they got all stymied by a premature death.

Avenue

AVENUE

(noun)
1 : a way or route to a place or goal : path
2 : a usually wide street






















Come and feel the army of ghosts
Strolling down that paved avenue
As well as the path of time
Feel their presence in the stones
And the rays of light.

abreact

ABREACT

transitive verb
To release tension by recalling a trauma; to release unconscious psychological tension by talking about or reliving the events that caused it



Lizzy tried to abreact her past heartaches
By pouring its details in the ears of her friends,
Unconscious of recreating the very circumstances
That had brought in the crisis.

Nuncupative

NUNCUPATIVE

adj
1.Oral; not written.
2.(obsolete) Publicly or solemnly declaratory.
3.(obsolete) Nominal; existing only in name.



We lost ourselves in nuncupative evenings
Dissembling and recreating the world anew
With each fiery debate.

Sapient

SAPIENT

—adj.
having or showing great wisdom or sound judgment.























Those old stones,
Sapient for the years
Spent crying.

Toothsome

TOOTHSOME

—adj.
1. pleasing to the taste; palatable
2. pleasing or desirable, as fame or power.
3. voluptuous; sexually alluring



Tea and a toothsome snack
Was an alluring promise
Virtues have been sold for less.