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.