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 

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

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

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

Impermanent

IMPERMANENT

-adj.

not permanent; fleeting; transitory

Her cough reminds me

That all is impermanent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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?

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

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

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

Narrow

NARROW

-adj.
1. small in breadth, in comparison to length
2. limited in range or extent
3. limited in outlook; lacking breadth of vision
4. limited in means or resources; meagre
5. barely adequate or successful
6. painstakingly thorough; minute
7. (finance) . denoting an assessment of liquidity as including notes and coin in circulation with the public, banks' till money, and banks' balances
8. (dialect) over careful with money; parsimonious
9. (phonetics)
a. (of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable duration (also called tense)
b. relating to or denoting a transcription used to represent phonetic rather than phonemic distinctions
c. denoting a vowel pronounced with the lips relatively close together (also called close)
10. (of agricultural feeds) especially rich in protein
-verb
11. to make or become narrow; limit; restrict
- noun
12. a narrow place, in particular for a pass or strait

In your dreams of lies

Floats a waterlily, the colour of air

Among polluted narrows

Shards of discarded truths

An inconvenient burden of hope

Especially

ESPECIALLY

-adv.
1. in particular; specifically
2. very much

The sun is falling
Over the silence in the country
The plain of flowers a turbulent child
Fading in the light of shadows.
A horror of the world
Especially watching winter lie dry.
Its mass of blue light and water
Turning to a stream of cold green flowers.

Dull

DULL

-adj.
1. slow to think or understand; stupid
2. lacking in interest
3. lacking in perception or the ability to respond; insensitive
4. lacking sharpness; blunt
5. not acute, intense, or piercing
6. (of weather) not bright or clear; cloudy
7. not active, busy, or brisk
8. lacking in spirit or animation; listless
9. (of colour) lacking brilliance or brightness; sombre
10. not loud or clear; muffled
11. (medicine) . (of sound elicited by percussion, not resonant
-verb
12. to make or become dull

Paper rats flutter on a wall

Dull days taking flight on dove wings

Tulips welcoming spring

Laurel

LAUREL

-noun

1. Also called: bay, true laurel. any lauraceous tree of the genus Laurus, such as the bay tree (see bay4) and L. canariensis, of the Canary Islands and Azores

2. any lauraceous plant

3. (plural) a wreath of true laurel, worn on the head as an emblem of victory or honour in classical times

4. (plural) honour, distinction, or fame

-verb

5. (trans.) to crown with laurels

The grace of spring
Laurel buds awaiting bloom
Amongst temples and ruins
And in delicate infusion

Dawdle

DAWDLE

-verb
1. (intr.) to be slow or lag behind
2. (when trans,, often followed by “away”) to waste (time); trifle

Rain goes

And the days dawdle by

In long wet naps

Dreaming of summer

Inner

INNER

-adj. (prenominal)
1. being or located further inside
2. happening or occurring inside
3. relating to the soul, mind, spirit, etc.
4. more profound or obscure; less apparent
5. exclusive or private
6. (chemistry) . (of a compound) having a cyclic structure formed or apparently formed by reaction of one functional group in a molecule with another group in the same molecule
-noun
7. (archery) . also called: red archery
a. the red innermost ring on a target
b. a shot which hits this ring

Dust settling inside the premises

The monuments here dissolve

Their inner grace dimmed

People whisper by, eyes on their phone

Facet

FACET

-noun

1. any of the surfaces of a cut gemstone

2. an aspect or phase, as of a subject or personality

3. (architecture) . the raised surface between the flutes of a column

4. any of the lenses that make up the compound eye of an insect or other arthropod

5. (anatomy) . any small smooth area on a hard surface, as on a bone

-verb

6. (trans.) to cut facets in (a gemstone)

Bounced on taupe shards, we weave promises

My eyes, facetted skies, shake lights

Overwhelming but still just short of night

Darkness is closing in, my love - but just a little

Forgo

FORGO

-verb

1.to give up or do without

2. (archaic) to leave

Forgo doubt

And bloom

Even in darkness

Especially in darkness

Precipice

PRECIPICE

[ˈprɛsɪpɪs ]

-noun

1. the steep sheer face of a cliff or crag

2. the cliff or crag itself

3. a precarious situation

Cultivating

The art of

Precipice

For thrills

Extemporize

EXTEMPORIZE

-verb

1. to perform, speak, or compose (an act, speech, piece of music, etc.) without planning or preparation

2. to use (a temporary solution) for an immediate need; improvise

Balancing act

Always on the brink of

Disaster or sublime

Extemporized life

Rosemary

ROSEMARY

-noun

an aromatic European shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, widely cultivated for its grey-green evergreen leaves, which are used in cookery for flavouring and yield a fragrant oil used in the manufacture of perfumes: family Lamiaceae (labiates). 

Hill companion

From invasive hedgerow

Singing in the sun

Mad intoxicating rosemary

Bore

BORE

-verb

1. to produce (a hole) in (a material) by use of a drill, auger, or other cutting tool

2. to increase the diameter of (a hole), as by an internal turning operation on a lathe or similar machine

3. (trans.) to produce (a hole in the ground, tunnel, mine shaft, etc.) by digging, drilling, cutting, etc.

4. (intr.) (informal) (of a horse or athlete in a race) to push other competitors in order to try to get them out of the way

-noun

5. a hole or tunnel in the ground, in particular one drilled in search of minerals, oil, etc.

6.

a. a circular hole in a material produced by drilling, turning, or drawing

b. the diameter of such a hole

7.

a. the hollow part of a tube or cylinder, in particular of a gun barrel

b. the diameter of such a hollow part; calibre

8. (Australian) an artesian well

-verb

1. (trans.) to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

-noun

2. a dull, repetitious, or uninteresting person, activity, or state

-noun

a high steep-fronted wave moving up a narrow estuary, caused by the tide

He went and bore a

Cat-shaped hole

In our heart

Modicum

MODICUM

-noun

a small amount or portion

Looking for a modicum of calm

Amidst chaos

I select abstraction and white noise

Stride

STRIDE

-noun

1. a long step or pace

2. the space measured by such a step

3. a striding gait

4. an act of forward movement by an animal, completed when the legs have returned to their initial relative positions

5. progress or development

6. a regular pace or rate of progress

7. (rowing) the distance covered between strokes

8. (jazz) a piano style characterized by single bass notes on the first and third beats and chords on the second and fourth. Also called: stride piano 

9. (plural) (informal, mainly Australian) men's trousers

-verb

10. (intr.) to walk with long regular or measured paces, as in haste, etc.

11. (trans.) to cover or traverse by striding

12. (often followed by “over”, “across”, etc.) to cross (over a space, obstacle, etc.) with a stride

13. (intr.) (rowing) to achieve the desired rhythm in a racing shell

Dawn has jogged past

Leaving sweat in her stride

All over the greenery

Dot

DOT

-noun

1. a small round mark made with or as with a pen, etc; spot; speck; point

2. anything resembling a dot; a small amount

3. the mark (˙) that appears above the main stem of the letters i, j

4. (music)

a. the symbol (·) placed after a note or rest to increase its time value by half

b. this symbol written above or below a note indicating that it must be played or sung staccato

5. (mathematics, logic)

a. the symbol (.) indicating multiplication or logical conjunction

b. a decimal point

6. the symbol (·) used, in combination with the symbol for dash (–), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes

-verb

7. (trans.) to mark or form with a dot

8. (trans.) to scatter or intersperse (with dots or something resembling dots)

11. (intr.) to make a dot or dots

-noun

(civil law) a woman's dowry

Love is in the air

Carried by dots

No need for anything else

Closure

CLOSURE

-noun

1. the act of closing or the state of being closed

2. an end or conclusion

3. something that closes or shuts, such as a cap or seal for a container

4. (in a deliberative body) a procedure by which debate may be halted and an immediate vote taken

5. (mainly US)

a. the resolution of a significant event or relationship in a person's life

b. a sense of contentment experienced after such a resolution

6. (geology) the vertical distance between the crest of an anticline and the lowest contour that surrounds it

7. (phonetics) the obstruction of the breath stream at some point along the vocal tract, such as the complete occlusion preliminary to the articulation of a stop

8. (logic)

a. the closed sentence formed from a given open sentence by prefixing universal or existential quantifiers to bind all its free variables

b. the process of forming such a closed sentence

9. (mathematics)

a. the smallest closed set containing a given set

b. the operation of forming such a set

10. (psychology) the tendency, first noted by Gestalt psychologists, to see an incomplete figure like a circle with a gap in it as more complete than it is

-verb

11. (trans.) (in a deliberative body) to end (debate) by closure

A breach in reality

Some type of closure

Made to dissuade thieves

From wondering too much

And kids from venturing too far

Pigment

PIGMENT

-noun

1. a substance occurring in plant or animal tissue and producing a characteristic colour, such as chlorophyll in green plants and haemoglobin in red blood

2. any substance used to impart colour

3. a powder that is mixed with a liquid to give a paint, ink, etc.

Urban tattoo

Pigment on a wall

If only virtually

Virtual collage made with PhotoFunia

Thyme

THYME

-noun

any of various small shrubs of the temperate genus Thymus, having a strong mint-like or lemon-like odour, small leaves, and white, pink, or red flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

Crawling thyme
Discreet yet pungent
Brings up memories

Donzel

DONZEL

-noun

(archaic) a man of high birth

Despite his unknown origins

He plays the donzel

And requests minions

And a fawning entourage

Keyboard

KEYBOARD

-noun

1. a complete set of keys, usually hand-operated, as on a piano, organ, computer, typewriter, or typesetting machine

2. (often plural) a musical instrument, in particular when electronic, played by means of a keyboard

-verb

3. to set (a text, etc.) in type, onto magnetic tape, or into some other medium, by using a keyboard machine

Life’s keyboard

Sixty-three rocks

With roots on a ridge

Little dirt under fingers

Tapping away time.

Trough

TROUGH

-noun

1. a narrow open container, in particular one in which food or water for animals is put

2. a narrow channel, gutter, or gulley

3. a narrow depression either in the land surface, ocean bed, or between two successive waves

4. (meteorology) an elongated area of low pressure, in particular an extension of a depression

5. a single or temporary low point; depression

6. (physics) the portion of a wave, such as a light wave, in which the amplitude lies below its average value

7. (economics) the lowest point or most depressed stage of the trade cycle

-verb

8. (intr.) (informal) to eat, consume, or take greedily

Mood in a trough

A quiet casualty

To word wars

And influence conflicts

Drain

DRAIN

-noun

1. a pipe or channel that carries off water, sewage, etc.

2. an instance or cause of continuous diminution in resources or energy; depletion

3. (surgery) a device, such as a tube, for insertion into a wound, incision, or bodily cavity to drain off pus, etc.

4. (electronics) the electrode region in a field-effect transistor into which majority carriers flow from the interelectrode conductivity channel

-verb

5. (trans.; often followed by “off”) to draw off or remove (liquid) from

6. (intr.; often followed by “away”) to flow (away) or filter (off)

7. (intr.) to dry or be emptied as a result of liquid running off or flowing away

8. (trans.) to drink the entire contents of (a glass, cup, etc.)

9. (trans.) to consume or make constant demands on (resources, energy, etc.); exhaust; sap

10. (intr.) to disappear or leave, in particular if gradually

11. (trans.) (of a river, etc.) to carry off the surface water from (an area)

12. (intr.) (of an area) to discharge its surface water into rivers, streams, etc.

The attraction is mutual

And with such a lovely colour

I am loath to drain my glass

Retrench

RETRENCH

-verb

1. to reduce or curtail (costs); economize

2. (trans.) to shorten, delete, or abridge

3. (trans.) to protect by a retrenchment

Even death has a cost

And attracts taxes

So spooks had to retrench

Despite carnival

Overt

OVERT

-adj.

1. open to view; observable

2. (law) open; deliberate.

Looming large

An overt blue moon

In a greyish hue of brown

Refusing to howl

Parsley

PARSLEY

-noun
1. a Southern European umbelliferous plant, Petroselinum crispum, widely cultivated for its curled aromatic leaves, which are used in cooking
2. any of various similar and related plants, such as fool's-parsley, stone parsley, and cow parsley

So humble and fragrant

The taste of spring in the rain

Flat-leaved parsley

Rueful

RUEFUL

-adj.
1. feeling or expressing sorrow or repentance
2. inspiring sorrow or pity

With sun still straight and its crystals too eager to break out

The cat is laying on the table

A red and white affair with teeth

And apologizing but only in your rueful dreams

Goad

GOAD

-noun

1. a sharp pointed stick for urging on cattle, etc.

2. anything that acts as a spur or incitement

-verb

3. (trans.) to drive with or as if with a goad; spur; incite

Nature's fuzzy spur
Goading spring onwards

Divest

DIVEST

-verb (trans.; usually followed by “of”)

1. to strip (of clothes)

2. to deprive or dispossess

3. (property law) to take away an estate or interest in property vested in (a person)

Passions are what captivates and compels us

To ere where nothing grows and where

A long walk might send us all to hell.

It's inaction we're reading on a bleak shore

Divested of what it means to be seen

Trapped waist deep in spent ashes

Loving each other through the act of loathing.