Vim

VIM

–noun
lively or energetic spirit; enthusiasm; vitality.






















Vim snowflakes
Twirling about the air
Trying to make the most of their flight
Twisting this and that way, loath to ever touch ground
Fleeing in a most desperate course
To avoid soil and rest
Certain death.

Mantic

MANTIC

–adj.
1. of or pertaining to divination.
2. having the power of divination.






















The
Owl,
Mantic
Well hidden
In its feather cloak.

Elicit

ELICIT

-verb
1 : to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential)
2 : to call forth or draw out (as information or a response)






















The sight of three pillows
Waiting for sleepers
Would elicit salacious thoughts
Except for the boring pattern on the cover.

Nonce

NONCE

–noun
the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose



Seize the nonce!
Puzzling as it might sound
You can trust me on this.

Ovary

OVARY

–noun
1. Anatomy, Zoology. the female gonad or reproductive gland, in which the ova and the hormones that regulate female secondary sex characteristics develop.
2. Botany. the enlarged lower part of the pistil in angiospermous plants, enclosing the ovules or young seeds.






















Under the pressure of words,
Ovaries became the world:
Splendid and diseased flowers
Devouring the soul of men.

Combust

COMBUST

v. intr.
1.
a.To catch fire; burst into flame.
b.To undergo combustion; burn.
2.To become suddenly angry or agitated: .
v. tr.
1.To cause to burn; ignite.
2.To cause to become angry or violent



That night,
Life times away,
You whispered in my ear,
Urgent wild accented stories
In words I could not decipher.
But look, old world magic:
My heart combusted still
As we held hands,
Eyes fast.


The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Sleep

SLEEP

–verb (used without object)
1. to take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness; cease being awake.
2. Botany. to assume, especially at night, a state similar to the sleep of animals, marked by closing of petals, leaves, etc.
3. to be dormant, quiescent, or inactive, as faculties.
4. to be careless or un-alert; allow one's alertness, vigilance, or attentiveness to lie dormant.
5. to lie in death.
–verb (used with object)
6. to take rest in (a specified kind of sleep).
7. to accommodate for sleeping; have sleeping accommodations for.
8. to spend or pass in sleep (usually followed by “away” or “out”).
9. to recover from the effects of (a headache, hangover, etc.) by sleeping (usually followed by “off” or “away”).
–noun
10.the state of a person, animal, or plant that sleeps.
11.a period of sleeping: a brief sleep.
12.dormancy or inactivity.
13.the repose of death.
14.Also "sleeper" - a globule that forms at the inner corner of the eye, especially during sleep, from the accumulated secretion of the glands of the eyelid.























The hours
Creep on unwanted
Pushing the hope of sleep
Ahead, ahead, always further
Too far.

For the insomnia prompt at One Single Impression

Senescent

SENESCENT

–adj.
growing old; aging.



Senescent wine
Sing its swan’s song
In my glass.

Withal

WITHAL

–adv.
1. with it all; as well; besides.
2. in spite of all; despite that, nevertheless.
3. Archaic. with that; therewith.
–preposition
4. with (used after its object).



Spring fever
Withal hounds of aluminium
Howling to the winds.

Swell

SWELL

–verb (used without object)
1. to grow in bulk, as by the absorption of moisture or the processes of growth.
2. Pathology. to increase abnormally in size, as by inflation, distension, accumulation of fluids, or the like.
3. to rise in waves, as the sea.
4. to well up, as a spring or as tears.
5. to bulge out, as a sail or the middle of a cask.
6. to grow in amount, degree, force, etc.
7. to increase gradually in volume or intensity, as sound.
8. to arise and grow within one, as a feeling or emotion.
9. to become puffed up with pride.
–verb (used with object)
10.to cause to grow in bulk.
11.to cause to increase gradually in loudness.
12.to cause (a thing) to bulge out or be protuberant.
13.to increase in amount, degree, force, etc.
14.to affect with a strong, expansive emotion.
15.to puff up with pride.
–noun
16.the act of swelling or the condition of being swollen.
17.inflation or distension.
18.a protuberant part.
19.a wave, esp. when long and unbroken, or a series of such waves.
20.a gradually rising elevation of the land.
21.an increase in amount, degree, force, etc.
22.a gradual increase in loudness of sound.
23.Music.
a. a gradual increase (crescendo) followed by a gradual decrease (diminuendo) in loudness or force of musical sound.
b. the sign (< >) for indicating this.
c. a device, as in an organ, by which the loudness of tones may be varied.
24.a swelling of emotion within one.
25.Slang.
a. a fashionably dressed person; dandy.
b. a socially prominent person.
–adj. - Informal.
26.(of things) stylish; elegant.
27.(of persons) fashionably dressed or socially prominent.
28.first-rate; fine



Incipient spring
In each swelling bud.
Such a swell sight!

Miscegenate

MISCEGENATE

-verb
marry or cohabit with a person of another race



Accused of miscegenating
They returned a blank look:
Weren't they all cats?

Auk

AUK

–noun
any of several usually black-and-white diving birds of the family Alcidae, of northern seas, having webbed feet and small wings.



The auks
Rue spelling
That forbids them from
Ever
Becoming
Hawks.

The auklets pictures is taken from Wikimedia Commons.

Monogram

MONOGRAM

–noun
1. a design consisting of two or more alphabetic letters combined or interlaced, commonly one's initials, often printed on stationery, embroidered on clothing, etc.
2. a single emblematic or decorative letter; applied initial.
–verb (used with object)
3. to decorate with a monogram.




In
the
cupboard,
Tarnishes
Ancient silverware
Unused, devoid of monogram
Murmuring about the wedding day that never came.

The wedding day had been set for September that year
On the last Sunday of summer.
But the war stroke first
Stealing light
Husband
And
Life.

The background picture is copyright of Willow of Willow Manor, who has put it forth as a writing prompt.
Join the writing fun at Magpie Tales.

Mince

MINCE

–verb (used with object)
1. to cut or chop into very small pieces.
2. to soften, moderate, or weaken (one's words), esp. for the sake of decorum or courtesy.
3. to perform or utter with affected elegance.
4. to subdivide minutely, as land or a topic for study.
–verb (used without object)
5. to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps.
6. Archaic. to act or speak with affected elegance.
–noun
7. something cut up very small; mincemeat.



She WON'T be his Valentine,
She made that clear:
No mincing of words with her
Although she might mince his liver. 

Valentine

VALENTINE

–noun
1. a card or message, usually amatory or sentimental but sometimes satirical or comical, or a token or gift sent by one person to another on Valentine Day, sometimes anonymously.
2. a sweetheart chosen or greeted on this day.
3. a written or other artistic work, message, token, etc., expressing affection for something or someone





I’d wrap you in chocolate but then somebody else might get tempted by a nibble. Or two. This will not do: you are mine and mine only. This is why I killed you, too. So I shall embalm and dress you with flowers: a lovelier nosegay you shall never desire.
You’ll forever be my valentine.

"Gift Wrapped" was first published on Pen Prick Microfiction

Gallivant

GALLIVANT

–verb (used without object)
1. to wander about, seeking pleasure or diversion; gad.
2. To play around amorously; flirt.



A few flurries gallivant about the Roman hills,
Making children dream of snow ball fights.

Twit

TWIT

–verb (used with object)
1. to taunt, tease, ridicule, etc., with reference to anything embarrassing; gibe at.
2. to reproach or upbraid.
–noun
3. an act of twitting.
4. a derisive reproach; taunt; gibe.

–noun
a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning.

–noun Informal.
an insignificant or bothersome person.

–noun
an excited state; dither






















My life had become a twit,
Almost threadbare, really:
There isn't much happening in 140 characters,
Despite all the fashion twit.

Adventitious

ADVENTITIOUS

–adj.
1. associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part; extrinsic.
2. Botany, Zoology. appearing in an abnormal or unusual position or place, as a root.






















Lomography
And wedding cakes
Brought together
By a sense of the adventitious.
Pesky muse.

Wedding cake from the LIFE image archive

Doppelgänger

DOPPELGANGER

–noun
a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.






















I killed my doppelganger.
Or it me.
How can I tell?

Mondegreen

MONDEGREEN

-noun
A word or phrase resulting from a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard.



They sing,
Sending mondegreen lyrics
Into the world,
Clueless.

Silhouettes by Bert Heymans, with thanks.

Matutinal

MATUTINAL

–adj.
pertaining to or occurring in the morning; early in the day.






















Matutinal ice
Conjuring a galaxy.
Stars on my lashes.

Stevedore

STEVEDORE

–noun
1. a firm or individual engaged in the loading or unloading of a vessel.
–verb (used with object)
2. to load or unload the cargo of (a ship).
–verb (used without object)
3. to load or unload a vessel.



I
Read
And read
And yet more
Taking it all in
Stevedoring my mind, myself
With improbable facts, tantalizing legends, dreams.

Jangle

JANGLE

–verb (used without object)
1. to produce a harsh, discordant sound, as two comparatively small, thin, or hollow pieces of metal hitting together.
2. to speak angrily; wrangle.
–verb (used with object)
3. to cause to make a harsh, discordant, usually metallic sound.
4. to cause to become irritated or upset.
–noun
5. a harsh or discordant sound.
6. an argument, dispute, or quarrel.























In
Silence
Utter peace
The butterfly wings
Jangled in a strident tattoo
Bringing forth storms, cataclysms, pandemonium.

Cast

CAST

–verb (used with object)
1. to throw or hurl; fling.
2. to throw off or away.
3. to direct (the eye, a glance, etc.), especially in a cursory manner.
4. to cause to fall upon something or in a certain direction; send forth.
5. to draw (lots), as in telling fortunes.
6. Angling.
a. to throw out (a fishing line, net, bait, etc.).
b. to fish in (a stream, an area, etc.):.
7. to throw down or bring to the ground.
8. to part with; lose.
9. to shed or drop (hair, fruit, etc.).
10.(of an animal) to bring forth (young), especially abortively.
11.to send off (a swarm), as bees do.
12.to throw or set aside; discard or reject; dismiss.
13.to throw forth, as from within; emit or eject; vomit.
14.to throw up (earth, sod, etc.), as with a shovel.
15.to put or place, especially hastily or forcibly.
16.to deposit or give (a ballot or vote).
17.to bestow; confer.
18.to make suitable or accordant; tailor.
19.Theatre.
a. to select actors for (a play, motion picture, or the like).
b. to allot a role to (an actor).
c. to assign an actor to (a role).
20.to form (an object) by pouring metal, plaster, etc., in a fluid state into a mould and letting it harden.
21.to form (metal, plaster, etc.) into a particular shape by pouring it into a mould in a fluid state and letting it harden.
22.to tap (a blast furnace).
23.to compute or calculate; add, as a column of figures.
24.to compute or calculate (a horoscope) astrologically; forecast.
25.to turn or twist; warp.
26.Nautical. to turn the head of (a vessel), especially away from the wind in getting under way.
27.Fox Hunting. (of a hunter) to lead or direct (hounds) over ground believed to have been recently travelled by a fox.
28.Archaic. to contrive, devise, or plan.
29.Obsolete. to ponder.
–verb (used without object)
30.to throw.
31.to receive form in a mould.
32.to calculate or add.
33.to conjecture; forecast.
34.(of hounds) to search an area for scent.
35.to warp, as timber.
36.Nautical. (of a vessel) to turn, especially to get the head away from the wind; tack.
37.to select the actors for a play, motion picture, or the like.
38.Obsolete.
a. to consider.
b. to plan or scheme.
–noun
39.act of casting or throwing.
40.that which is thrown.
41.the distance to which a thing may be cast or thrown.
42.Games.
a. a throw of dice.
b. the number rolled.
43.Angling.
a. act of throwing a line or net onto the water.
b. a spot for casting; a fishing place.
44.Theatre. the group of performers to whom parts are assigned; players.
45.Hunting. a searching of an area for a scent by hounds.
46.a stroke of fortune; fortune or lot.
47.a ride offered on one's way; lift.
48.the form in which something is made or written; arrangement.
49.Metallurgy.
a. act of casting or founding.
b. the quantity of metal cast at one time.
50.something formed from a material poured into a mould in a molten or liquid state; casting.
51.an impression or mould made from something.
52.Medicine/Medical. a rigid surgical dressing, usually made of bandage treated with plaster of Paris.
53.outward form; appearance.
54.sort; kind; style.
55.tendency; inclination.
56.a permanent twist or turn.
57.a warp.
58.a slight tinge of some colour; hue; shade.
59.a dash or trace; a small amount.
60.computation; calculation; addition.
61.a conjecture; forecast.
62.Zoology. something that is shed, ejected, or cast off or out, as moulted skin, a feather, food from a bird's crop, or the coil of sand and waste passed by certain earthworms.
63.Ornithology. Also called Pellet - small, roundish mass of matter regurgitated by certain predatory birds, consisting of the indigestible remains, as the fur, feathers, and bones, of the prey.
64.Falconry. a pair of hawks put in flight together.
65.Pathology. effused plastic matter produced in the hollow parts of various diseased organs.
66.low-grade, irregular wool.
–adj.
67.(of an animal, esp. a horse) lying in such a position that it is unable to return to its feet without assistance.



I write your eulogy
On dead leaves
Casting them to the wind
To be discovered,
Later, by strangers;
Hoping to reach
Your rambling soul.

Cinquain

CINQUAIN

–noun
1. a group of five.
2. Prosody.
a. a short poem consisting of five, usually un-rhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables.
b. any stanza of five lines.



Cinquain
Such an odd form
In its name, in its look
And all composed of even lines.
Bizarre.

Adit

ADIT

–noun
1. an entrance or a passage.
2. Also called entry. Mining. a nearly horizontal passage leading into a mine.
3. an approach or access.























Myriads
Of adits in every scent
Each a portal, a way
To memories.
To life.

Bell

BELL

–noun
1. a hollow instrument of cast metal, typically cup-shaped with a flaring mouth, suspended from the vertex and rung by the strokes of a clapper, hammer, or the like.
2. the stroke or sound of such an instrument.
3. anything in the form of a bell.
4. the large end of a funnel, or the end of a pipe, tube, or any musical wind instrument, when its edge is turned out and enlarged.
5. Architecture. the underlying part of a foliated capital.
6. Nautical.
a. any of the half-hour units of nautical time rung on the bell of a ship.
b. each individual ring of the bell, counted with others to reckon the time: It is now four bells.
c. a signal on the telegraph of a large power vessel, made between the navigating officers and the engineer.
7. Zoology. Also umbrella - the saucer- or bowl-shaped, gelatinous body of a jellyfish .
8. Botany. the bell-shaped corolla of a flower.
9. Metallurgy. a conical lid that seals the top of a blast furnace and lowers to admit a charge.
–verb (used with object)
10.to cause to swell or expand like a bell (often followed by “out”).
11.to put a bell on.
–verb (used without object)
12.to take or have the form of a bell.
13.Botany. to produce bells; be in bell (said of hops when the seed vessels are forming).

–verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
1. to bellow like a stag in rutting time.
2. to bay, as a hunting dog.
–noun
3. the cry of a rutting stag or hunting dog.






















The wind's bell
Lashing all with rain.
Moss growing.

Theogony

THEOGONY

-noun
The origin of gods or an account of this.



In a world of dissenting theogonies
Primordial mud gets much flown about
Star dust and bones cradled in its midst
To become golems in our very dreams.