WORDHOG
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Description:
I'm in Ireland for 3 months mostly being a grandfather. When not so engaged I read voraciously and I have always done so. Very rarely if ever do I meet a word I am not familiar with, but occasionally I still do. I met stenanogram in a novel called Codex and the other two words in a novel called The End of Mr Y. For those of you interested in words, check out the history of the word pale as I use it in my second line/
WORDHOG
To keep swinish age at bay and boredom Beyond the forest pale I read: Screeds of women facile with words, Books of men with virile wit; And like the tusked boar myself I root Between lines, snuffle among leaves For truffles of exotica, Trifling words, bluebell bulbs, Wild scallions of wayward words That have eluded me for sixty years. I find ghost orchids pale in dark woods On paths I have not trod before; Treasures I have not encountered In a lifetime of looking, of rambling, Rummaging, snout down shouldering Through thickset thicket texts. I find phenakistoscope, The last hazel nut husked on the twig; Steganogram, the last blackberry Unclouded with mould, touched by frost; Pseudepigrapha, last sweet wild fraise. These choice fruits of my autumn woods I shall wrap in my childhood handkerchief And take them home to show my mother Or lay them on my old friend's grave. |
Submitted on 2010-08-09 03:49:58 Terms of Service / Copyright Rules
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You should try 50 strange words by Lord Bane| | Posted on 2010-09-25 00:00:00 | by monad | [ Reply to This ] | I agree with soulhugger (below); you are a fine artist, and reading this poem left me buzzing in just the right way. | Two things there made me emote: at first, your links between words and wild plants - because obviously you love them all, nature's "words" and the "flowers and fruit" of this language! Then the last three lines: to whom we would bring treasures ... yes! | Posted on 2010-08-13 00:00:00 | by Glen Bowman | [ Reply to This ] | You are a word-smith, to be sure. Most of your writing seems to have that undertone, a style that bespeaks a careful thought process. It is unique and well-drawn. I have no trouble imagining you devouring books with pleasure, shuffling and snuffling for treasure! | I particularly liked the "wild scallions of wayward words," "Rummaging, snout down shouldering," and "Through thickset thicket texts." Those lines are brilliant, and feel good on the tongue when spoken aloud. I wonder how one would do saying this all really fast... There are also the gentler lines I find a delight to read; "ghost orchids pale in dark woods," and "unclouded with mould, touched by frost," among others. The title is really clever too! You would have loved this old dictionary I got out of a recycling bin behind a school. Unfortunately my ex kept it, but it was massive - this hard-bound burgundy thing with yellowed pages that was about 6 inches thick and larger than a phone book. I think reading keeps the mind sharp in any season of life. My last surviving Grandma is 87 years old, and she has always read. To this day she does not need glasses. She has no health problems. And it has only been recently that she has lost a bit of her edge and started to become forgetful. But she has always kept up with the times and kept on discovering; knowledge that is the best of life's fruits! Take Care:) soul-hugger | Posted on 2010-08-09 00:00:00 | by Soul-Hugger | [ Reply to This ] | |
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