Saturday 31 December 2016

Wish

WISH

-verb
1. (when trans., takes a clause as object or an infinitive; when intr., often followed by “for”) to want or desire (something, often that which cannot be or is not the case)
2. (trans.) to feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of
3. (trans.) to desire or prefer to be as specified
4. (trans.) to greet as specified; bid
5. (trans.) formal to order politely
-noun
6. the act of wishing; the expression of some desire or mental inclination
7. something desired or wished for
8. (usually plural) expressed hopes or desire, especially for someone's welfare, health, etc.
9. (often plural) formal a polite order or request

















Caos is gone now
So our wish
For the New Year
Is aimed at Microbo
- He of the failing lungs -

May his health hold

Friday 30 December 2016

Irrelevant

IRRELEVANT

-adj.

not relating or pertinent to the matter at hand; not important


























They run away
But that’s irrelevant
Death always catches up

Thursday 29 December 2016

Flexible

FLEXIBLE

-adj.
1. Also: flexile [ˈflɛksaɪl] . able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable
2. adaptable or variable

3. able to be persuaded easily; tractable


























He begs her
To be more flexible
But rigor mortis has set
And she laughs at him

Wednesday 28 December 2016

Conflagration

CONFLAGRATION

-noun
a large destructive fire

























Early walk
Admiring conflagrations

In the clouds

Tuesday 27 December 2016

Tentiginous

TENTIGINOUS
[tɛnˈtɪdʒɪnəs]

-adj.
(obsolete) relating to feelings of lust

























Taking advantage
Of the holidays for

A few tentiginous visits

Monday 26 December 2016

Holiday

HOLIDAY

-noun
1. (often plural) (mainly British) . a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation.
2. a day on which work is suspended by law or custom, such as a religious festival, bank holiday, etc.
-verb
3. (intr.) (mainly British) . to spend a holiday

























Lost in his friends' digital holidays
He totally misses his own

Sunday 25 December 2016

Smack

SMACK

-noun
1. a smell or flavour that is distinctive though faint
2. a distinctive trace or touch 
3. a small quantity, especially a mouthful or taste
-verb (intr.; followed by “of”)
4. to have the characteristic smell or flavour (of something)
5. to have an element suggestive (of something)


-verb
1. (trans.) to strike or slap smartly, with or as if with the open hand
2. to strike or send forcibly or loudly or to be struck or sent forcibly or loudly
3. to open and close (the lips) loudly, especially to show pleasure
4. (trans.) to kiss noisily
-noun
5. a sharp resounding slap or blow with something flat, or the sound of such a blow
6. a loud kiss
7. a sharp sound made by the lips, as in enjoyment
-adv. (informal)
8. directly; squarely
9. with a smack: sharply and unexpectedly











Some cakes smack of the holidays
Once a year treat

Saturday 24 December 2016

Tantrum

TANTRUM

-noun
(often plural) a childish fit of rage; outburst of bad temper

























Sometimes
Unscheduled visits
Are met with a touch

Of tantrum

Friday 23 December 2016

Ramble

RAMBLE

-verb (intr.)
1. to stroll about freely, as for relaxation, with no particular direction
2. (of paths, streams, etc.) to follow a winding course; meander
3. (of plants) to grow in a random fashion
4. (of speech, writing, etc.) to lack organization
-noun
5. a leisurely stroll, especially in the countryside















A full day's ramble
Concluded with friends and wine

Thursday 22 December 2016

Sticker

STICKER

-noun
1. an adhesive label, poster, or paper
2. a person or thing that sticks
3. a persevering or industrious person
4. something prickly, such as a thorn, that clings to one's clothing, etc.
5. informal something that perplexes
6. informal a knife used for stabbing
or piercing

























Playful pious sticker
Catching the eye
And the rain











Wednesday 21 December 2016

Stole

STOLE

-noun
1. a long scarf or shawl, worn by women
2. a long narrow scarf worn by various officiating clergymen

























Entangled as he was
In her stole and skirt
He missed the battle
War never happened

Tuesday 20 December 2016

Wamble

WAMBLE

-verb (intr.)
1. to move unsteadily
2. to twist the body
3. to feel nausea
-noun
4. an unsteady movement
5. a sensation of nausea

























The golem woke
And wambled
Trying to hold
Its pebbles
Cursing evenings
Of heavy drinking
Sub-Saharan rains

Monday 19 December 2016

Steganography

STEGANOGRAPHY

-noun
1. the practice of concealing messages in such a way that only the sender and the recipient know that there is a message
2. computing the concealment of a message or data within an image, audio, or video file

























Nature sending us
Messages in steganography
Only hearts can read
Who want to read

Sunday 18 December 2016

Basket

BASKET

-noun
1. a container made of interwoven strips of pliable materials, such as cane, straw, thin wood, or plastic, and often carried by means of a handle or handles
2. Also called: basketful . the amount a basket will hold
3. something resembling such a container in appearance or function, such as the structure suspended from a balloon
4. basketball
a. an open horizontal metal hoop fixed to the backboard, through which a player must throw the ball to score points
b. a point or points scored in this way
5. a group or collection of similar or related things

6. the list of items an internet shopper chooses to buy at one time from a website

























Pasta nested
In a Parmesan basket
Too much cheese (yes)

Saturday 17 December 2016

Complicit

COMPLICIT

-adj.
involved with others in reprehensible or illegal activity

























The twins protect each other
Complicit in napping and bullying
Of tender-hearted tourists
Foolish enough to order food
And not share it with them

Friday 16 December 2016

Brace

BRACE

-noun
1. a hand tool for drilling holes, with a socket to hold the drill at one end and a cranked handle by which the tool can be turned. In full: hand brace
2. something that steadies, binds, or holds up another thing
3. a structural member, such as a beam or prop, used to stiffen a framework
4. a sliding loop, usually of leather, attached to the cords of a drum: used to change its tension
5. a pair; two, especially of game birds
6. either of a pair of characters, { }, used for connecting lines of printing or writing or as a third sign of aggregation in complex mathematical or logical expressions that already contain parentheses and square brackets
7. Also called: accolade .  a line or bracket connecting two or more staves of music
8. (often plural) an appliance of metal bands and wires that can be tightened to maintain steady pressure on the teeth for correcting uneven alignment
9. (medicine) any of various appliances for supporting the trunk, a limb, or teeth
10. another word for bracer (archery, fencing) . a leather guard worn to protect the arm
11. (in square-rigged sailing ships) a rope that controls the movement of a yard and thus the position of a sail
12. (if plural) (British) .  a pair of straps worn over the shoulders for holding up the trousers
-verb (mainly trans)
13. to provide, strengthen, or fit with a brace
14. to steady or prepare (oneself or something) as before an impact
15. (also intr.) to stimulate; freshen; invigorate
16. to control the horizontal movement of (the yards of a square-rigged sailing ship)




















Reading Proust
Bracing ourselves

Against compulsive braces


Original picture courtesy of Simon Vestdijk (and creative commons) - his picture has been cropped and words added.

Thursday 15 December 2016

Stationery

STATIONERY

-noun
any writing materials, such as paper, envelopes, pens, ink, rulers, etc.

























After all these years,
And much digital writing
I still favour basic stationery

And glorious paper



Wednesday 14 December 2016

Stationary

STATIONARY

-adj.
1. not moving; standing still
2. not able to be moved
3. showing no change
4. tending to remain in one place

























The shepherdess has gone
With the music player

They dally, time stationary

Tuesday 13 December 2016

Wimple

WIMPLE

-noun
1. a piece of cloth draped around the head to frame the face, worn by women in the Middle Ages and still a part of the habit of some nuns
2. (Scottish) a curve or bend, as in a river
-verb
3. (rare) to ripple or cause to ripple or undulate
4. (trans.) archaic to cover with or put a wimple on
5. (archaic) (especially of a veil) to lie or cause to lie in folds or pleats

























Marble wimples
Its veins disregarding words
And attempts at senses

Knows no restraints

Monday 12 December 2016

Flavescent

FLAVESCENT

-adj.

turning yellow; yellowish

















In the wind
Flavescent dancers
Cover me in gold

Sunday 11 December 2016

Religieuse

RELIGIEUSE

-noun
1. a nun

-noun
1. French pastry made of two choux pastry cases, one larger than the other, filled with flavoured custard (crème pâtissière), and bound/decorated with butter cream


























The absurdity
Of roses and raspberries
And barely a wimple
For my religieuse

Saturday 10 December 2016

Renal

RENAL

-adj.
of, relating to, resembling, or situated near the kidney


























If your cat drinks a lot
Please have it checked

For renal insufficiency

Friday 9 December 2016

Trefoil

TREFOIL

-noun
1. any of numerous leguminous plants of the temperate genus Trifolium, having leaves divided into three leaflets and dense heads of small white, yellow, red, or purple flowers
2. any of various related plants having leaves divided into three leaflets, such as bird's-foot trefoil
3. a leaf having three leaflets
4. (architecture) . an ornament in the form of three arcs arranged in a circle



















Looking for fortune in the trefoil
That odd even leafed specimen

No luck.

Thursday 8 December 2016

Amble

AMBLE

-verb (intr.)
1. to walk at a leisurely relaxed pace
2. (of a horse) to move slowly, lifting both legs on one side together
3. to ride a horse at an amble or leisurely pace
-noun
4. a leisurely motion in walking
5. a leisurely walk
6. the ambling gait of a horse

























Room after room
Ambling about
To this painting
Or another as fancy

Takes them

Wednesday 7 December 2016

Rogatory

ROGATORY

-adj.
(especially in legal contexts) seeking or authorized to seek information

























Perhaps a scholar
Preparing a thesis
In rogatory terms
Perhaps a poet

Counting on his fingers

Drawing by Alfons Mucha

Tuesday 6 December 2016

Daunting

DAUNTING
[ˈdɔːntɪŋ]

-adj.
causing fear or discouragement; intimidating

























Question the wisdom
Of such daunting entrance

To a library

Monday 5 December 2016

Intuition

INTUITION

-noun
1. knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor by perception
2. instinctive knowledge or belief
3. a hunch or unjustified belief
4. (philosophy) . immediate knowledge of a proposition or object such as Kant's account of our knowledge of sensible objects
5. the supposed faculty or process by which we obtain any of these




















Tired of stories
Though he comes in
On his horse
Her intuition whispers
These are lies

He tells to himself

Sunday 4 December 2016

Pilau

PILAU
[pɪˈlaʊ]

-noun
a dish originating from the East, consisting of rice flavoured with spices and cooked in stock, to which meat, poultry, or fish may be added. Variants: pilaf, pilaff [ˈpɪlæf], pilao [pɪˈlaʊ], pilaw [pɪˈlɔː] or pulao [pʊˈlaʊ]

























Playing with pilau
Leaning to risotto
Fennel, horseradish
White chocolate

Salmon eggs

Saturday 3 December 2016

Ragged

RAGGED

-adj.
1. (of clothes) worn to rags; tattered
2. (of a person) dressed in shabby tattered clothes
3. having a neglected or unkempt appearance
4. having a loose, rough, or uneven surface or edge; jagged

5. uneven or irregular


























Some undisclosed illness
Or lack of lust for life
Has left him with a ragged coat
Covering prominent bones

Friday 2 December 2016

Glaucous

GLAUCOUS

-adj.
1. (botany) . covered with a bluish waxy or powdery bloom
2. bluish-green


























I ran into the ocean lately and it misses you
It’s not saying, at least not much just
Rolling around pebbles under foot and
Moaning glaucous watery roars under its breath
Dejected lover – why did you leave?


Thursday 1 December 2016

Intaglio

INTAGLIO
nˈtɑːlɪˌəʊ]

-noun
1. a seal, gem, etc., ornamented with a sunken or incised design, as opposed to a design in relief.
2. the art or process of incised carving
3. a design, figure, or ornamentation carved, engraved, or etched into the surface of the material used
4. any of various printing techniques using an etched or engraved plate. The whole plate is smeared with ink, the surface wiped clean, and the ink in the recesses then transferred to the paper or other material
5. an incised die used to make a design in relief

























Everything is about leading
Visitors away from truth
Faux intaglio is a painting
Marbles are simple casts

The Roman villa a Twenties’ folly