pumpkins

the elevation
to divine status
of extravagant
pumpkins --
October

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'pumpkinification." I love everything about this word except trying to spit it out.

I found it fascinating that it was first used nearly 2000 years ago by Seneca, as a title of a satire about the deification of the Roman Emperor Claudius.

I had expected the citations to be of Cinderella. Seeking further info in Wikipedia, it turns out there are thousands of  folk tale variations on the Cinderella story, going back to - coincidentally - the ancient Greeks, but it only got really popular when the French author  Charles Perrault in 1697 added a few embellishments to the story: the pumpkin, the fairy-godmother and the glass slippers.

The image is one I put on my niece's Halloween card.  Happy Great Pumpkin Day to all!

unlikely

It has been suggested
but seems unlikely….
alien spacecraft…

A Little Laughter 

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'foo fighter.' Am I the only one that thought the band just made the name up?

autumn

woodsmoke spiraling up
leaves fluttering down —-
autumn

. . . . . . . .

The unused OED word of the day is 'nodgecomb,' yet another 16th century synonym for fool. Once again, the citations were too short, so I was left to create a haiku.

In a bit of a 'rut' (if you can use the word for something so glorious) with this autumn color, but it was beyond fashionably late, and now it's brilliant

October's style

last evening
The smell was fresh
and bitter at the same time.

October's style is complex,
her vocabulary large and the sort
people describe as ‘interesting’
—as if proud of their sophisticated taste.

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is recherché, a word with an interesting etymology. 

In 1580 it meant "affected or unnatural", but by 1601 it had morphed into "desirable, prized." And then at the end of the 17th century it was "unusual, well-crafted."

So, reading this example in Merriam-Webster -- "a high-end restaurant with a particularly recherché selection of wines" -- I'm not sure if it's a compliment or an insult. Advice? Use with caution!

a question

a question

is tasted and analyzed
and repeatedly examined …

and the mother of all
Science We now consider
known, unchanging

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'Scoville' ... for all the chile lovers out there.

the forest

The forest …
Success
based on
a certain unity
with The oldest

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'biome.'

snooze button

october —
morning fog
presses the sun’s
snooze button

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day is ‘heroify,’ cited in a grand total of three 19th century sentences. I’m thinking the Oxford lads need to enact a minimum usage rule. I would heroify them if they only had words of the day that were suitable for erasing into poems!

something wicked

An umbrella, darling,
once again!
Something Wicked 
this Way Comes 


. . . . . . . .


The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'bumbershoot.' Why there was no citation for Seattle's famous (or maybe not so much) Bumbershoot Festival is a mystery.

This morning that fabulous light where there's a ray of sun but everything else is stormy dark.

cool

October loves Jazz,
cool and Curiously styled,
a very simple pleasure

take delight
in daily life,
filled
with the desire to become Love

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'camera,' which has traveled far from its 16th century roots as the papal treasury!

landscape

Painters Journey
in the landscape

desire
is the poetry
of October 

. . . . . . .

The OED word of the day is 'image-maker.'

mush

self-confident,
yet anxious,
we pick and choose,
sandwiched between
layers of sweet mush, 
The Truth


. . . . . . . .


The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'Nelson.'

plain words

Plain Words
on a circuitous
journey through
the great whirl of
human imagination,

tantalized
by the impossible
view of a rare Evening
in October,

Poems,
if graceful,
deliver an elegant little
punch
in The hush of the Evening

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'roundabout.'

school bus yellow

School bus yellow leaves
whisper in the maple trees —
harvest moon

. . . . . . .

It turns out that there is an official name for that color that reappears every September: National School Bus Glossy Yellow.

The Eye Center used to be in a windowless area of the UW Medical Center. Now it's on First Hill, with huge windows the length of the waiting room. Every time I'm there I roll my (dilating) eyes at the irony that there is this fabulous view that no one sitting there can see!

walking about not knowing

Poems, just before going to bed
bring good cheer,
and Walking about
not knowing
is a good place to start
in the morning

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'posset.'

discovery

one is in the middle
of a river of
Discovery 
living to improve
our understanding of flow

reflection,
Even if curmudgeonly,
is of benefit

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'riparian.'

This bus was in service in 1959 through the early 70s. Yesterday it was one of six in service as part of the yearly vintage bus tour to view autumn color. Best $5 deal around!

the right

the World clutches at the right.

It is said to
enable errors in a matter of moments,
and to waste time from the beginning.

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure commentary is 'zeroize.'

Pictured is the historic fire department, jail and school bell of Black Diamond, Washington

slang

historical slang —
Zounds!
One would never
hear the word today

. . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure commentary is 'Greenacre.'  "Zounds' indeed. Suffice to say, the word does not come from a 60s TV show with Eddie Albert & Eva Gabor.

Today's collage sketch was done with both the Seattle and Portland Urban Sketchers, the latter having taken the train north to sketch with us for the day. We met them at King Street Station (pictured). Excellent fun.

the heart of a place

The heart
of a place
is a holy thing,
the deep
sacred center
of Art, 
a sanctuary
and power of nature

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'omphalos.' The plural is omphaloi, which seems oxymoronic for THE center (navel) of the earth (originally, a round stone in the temple of Apollo at Delphi). Just how many centers can there be?


Anyway, that's a new one on me. I hope I remember it long enough to use it in a sentence; it's got a nice ring to it.

vagabond

Walk Vagabond 
When the reason
be Poems
coupled with nature

. . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'facinorous.' Nothing you would want to be called in the 17th century, but just a "huh??" today.

october

october weather —
multiple personality disorder

. . . . . . . .

Yesterday the OED word of the day was 'wedgie' and today it's 'bad-john.' Both entries too short and with too silly a vocabulary to morph into poems. Will hope not to be left out in the cold by the Oxford lads again tomorrow...

october forecast

sun
cool wind
dark clouds
rain
light clouds
shower
cold wind —

repeat
until
winter

tempting providence

wisdom is
understanding
the Power
of Calm, loving
trust

The next step
is to not squander
answered prayers

In the morning Light
We tend to our Conversation in Poems of Love,
tempting Providence to send another

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'providence.'

history

History presents
a most ingenious solution,
without waiting for approval,
when the power belongs to us

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'myriarch.' From the citations, I'd say that unless you're a loyal reader of the "Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies," you don't have much use for this 'commander of a large force.'

coincidence

in the Library
of Useful Knowledge
coincidence is rare 

. . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'perigee.'

plasticity

all plasticity
and capricious disorder…
October 

. . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure haiku is 'multiverse.'

traveling

Traveling –
Old and New
overwhelm us

Puzzling Questions
surprise with regularity

. . . . . . . .

The OED sci-fi word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'Earthship.'

we can only speculate

beyond the
outermost known,
an unknown 
Intelligence
We can only
speculate about

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'Planet X,'

galaxy of candles

(the Dark Side is really full of WIMPs,
their source remains a puzzle)

Stars —
Light that set out millions of years ago,
scattered Toward the End of Time

Poems Make stars small,
and scarce visible in the bright joy
lighting a galaxy of candles

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem is 'galaxy.'

October

October —
Classic Treats & a Wild Weird
‘Oh, my God!’ shout in horror

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem | commentary is 'muffin top.'

yoga

miraculously created
or surreptitiously introduced

Yoga in the insignificant-looking body
is the distinguishing mark of Love 

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the poem|commentary is 'mahatma.'

sharper edge

life plays out,
and training for
a lifetime of
the Zen of Watching
starts early

a recurring cycle
relevant to the
Sharper Edge of life

. . . . . . . .

The OED word of the day for the erasure poem|commentary is 'life cycle.'