Wednesday, February 18, 2009

it's all about words

Poetry is all about words, particular words. Word choice can be an obsession for poets. Which fits better, door or gate, forest or woods? Sound, rhythm, connotation and more affect the decision.

I just enjoyed a wonderful weekend with my Uncle Fred in North Carolina. He is a word wizard and a Scrabble master! When I was a child, I had to pass the sycamore spelling test every visit. I cannot pass a sycamore tree without thinking of him.

In two Scrabble games, I learned that a runnel is a brook or a rill and a jo is a Scottish sweetheart. Ka is apparently the name for part of the soul in an ancient Egyptian religion, though it's not in my dictionary. I should have challenged him! Did you know that xi is the fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet?

Play Scrabble with a word wizard. Collect words. Add to your word pool! In Uncle Fred's Oxford Dictionary, I finally found the definition of a delectable word I had been looking for. Galimaufry - any absurd medley, a hodgepodge of things or persons. Someday I'll find the right spot for that word.

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