Casuistry

Casuistry, pronounced CAZ ooh istry, is the use of clever but unsound reasoning.  It is used mostly in regard to moral questions.  In logic we are warned against those who use casuistry.

Bibliophile

A bibliophile is someone who loves books.  My sister Naomi is a bibliophile.  This is seen through the fact that she reads 5 books a week.  She took advantage of National Drop Everything And Read Day to complete an entire book.

Bellicose

Bellicose means warlike or quarrelsome.  When there is food around, our chickens are very bellicose.   

Acerbic

Acerbic means either sharp in attitude, knowledge or sour in taste.  His acerbic wit contributed to his acerbic temperament.

Accrue

Accrue means to add slowly usually by financial means, but it does not always have to do with money.  I began accruing old bicycles, but as my funds had been ablated, it took me a year to get just one bike. 

Ablate

Ablate means to remove by cutting, burning or vaporizing.    You should never play with ovens, for once while enjoying that dangerous pusuit, part of my arm was ablated.  Sadly, when the doctor was ablating my bandage he accidentally ablated a bit of my arm.

The Raggedy Man

As I look down,

I see a man

With ragged hands

And hair wind-blown.

From atop my hill 

The man looks sad

And a little drab

While he stands so still.

A man walks nigh

In his suit so black

But he turns his back

As he walks bye.

The shaggy man

Shivers in his sleeves

Sitting under the eaves

Beside an old beer can.

Nifty Nouns to Help Me With My Poems

Flavor Rock Creek Oak

Moccasin Fairy Madame

Pearl Beast Grub Robin

Flame Wintergreen Wigwam

Caterpillar Fountain Express

Melody Emerald Ruby Topaz

Diamonds Forest Woodland Mire

Bog Bloom Dune Buttercup

Spring(of water)meadow

Evergreen Valley Hillock

Breeze Whisper Shore

Swallow Field Sycamore

Dust Fog Cloud Mist

Vine Grapevine Twine

Shades Wave Host Veil 

Milky-way Shine

Tresses Creeper Theif

Millennium Verdure

Sod Turf Courtyard

Forage Vittles Bristle

Shock Bulk Plaint

Sob Gripe Clamor

Moan Bonds Vision

 

 

76 Strong Verbs for My Future Poems

Guzzle Guffaw Titter Snicker

Chortle Shriek Chuckle Giggle

Smirk Grin Cackle Snigger

Banter Quip Revel Taunt

Declare Utter Mumble Murmur

Mutter Drawl Confabulate

Schmooze Promenade Traipse

Jaunt Ramble Abscond Chuck

Flee Forsake Maroon Vacate

Heave Bandy Barrage Bombard

Discharge Volley Consternation

Daunt Petrify Unnerve Devote

Grind Hustle Befuddle Dumbfound

Elude Muddle Puzzle Mystify

Stun Addle Bemuse Eject

Devour Ingest Gormandize

Masticate Scoff Gorge

Wolf Goad Hassle Importune

Champ Harass Harry Sever

Afflict Aggravate Exasperate

Tantalize Vex

Behind the Scenes of Julius Caesar

Yesterday was the 14th of March

And my wife had a nasty
nightmare.

She dreamed that my statue was gushing 

blood.
She said I shouldn't try to get the crown
today.  I listened and said I wouldn't go,

Even though I think she's just
jealous.

However, Decius told me that the
squall, phantoms 

and my wife's dream are 

nothing to worry about.

I resolve to accompany Decius to the senate.
I don't want to listen to my wife anyway.

  We sneak 

out of the house,
hoping that Calpurnia will not catch us.

On the way I tell that irritating Soothsayer that
his prophecy must be wrong since 

I am still alive and it is now the Ides of March.

I have proved the superstitions of the people wrong!

This win should make the people treat me like a god

since I have out rivaled that old oracle.

But...to my scoffing at his fortune telling,

Mr. Soothy assents that it is the Ides of March, but
not past and that I could still... 

Die.

He and my wife must die when I become king 

Since they have been very vexatious lately.

However, I need to make the commonwealth think I'm cool so
I can be their Caesar.

Later...
*stab*
Et tu Brute?

The Thoughtful Loafer

As I strolled down the road

I met a young toad

Who was carryin' a load

Down the long dusty road.

I said to him, "Dude,

I don't mean to be rude,

But I sure think that you'd

Better lose that big load.

"Why sir," he said,

"That thought's worth a quid!"

And so he got rid

Of the pack on his mid. 

"You only live once man!"

I said as he ran

To go home to his clan

Which lived in a pan.

Then people gawked

As I continued my walk

To my old man's shop

At the end of the block.

Later everyone sought

Out the man who had thoughts

Which had such a cost

At which no one could mock.

My Pal Bruno

Bruno, how I miss you!

I miss your slobbery smiling bay

That greeted me each day.

When I got home from school

Your puppy paws would pound

The dust to greet me at a bound.

You were the smartest dog in town,

You knew so many tricks that you,

Would never even think to chew!

Bruno, how I miss your smile!

I wish that I could be with you,

So I could say adieu.

Another Battle Lost

All day I've been at work
My body droops and sags.
My bare feet are covered in rags.

Oh no! I can not stir.
My feet will not listen to
My head and start to move.

I tell them one thing and
They stay right where they are
Not bothering to care.

This is quite annoying
My hands won't even feign
To be listening to my brain.

My eyelids droop and sag,
I tell them to stop at once,
Instead they don't and...
              I am fast asleep.

The Tone and Diction of James Still's Poem, "Heritage"

I shall not leave these prisoning hills Though they topple their barren heads to level earth And the forests slide uprooted out of the sky. Though the waters of Troublesome, of Trace Fork, Of Sand Lick rise in a single body to glean the valleys, To drown lush pennyroyal, to unravel rail fences; Though the sun-ball breaks the ridges into dust And burns its strength into the blistered rock I cannot leave. I cannot go away. Being of these hills, being one with the fox Stealing into the shadows, one with the new-born foal, The lumbering ox drawing green beech logs to mill, One with the destined feet of man climbing and descending, And one with death rising to bloom again, I cannot go. Being of these hills I cannot pass beyond. Tone:  The tone of a poem is the feel of it.  Tone can be dark and scary or light and happy or anywhere in between.  Diction:  Diction is the poet's word choice.  He could, when writing the poem, use sophisticated words or, he could use words that people use in everyday life.  If he was writing some type of happy, not-to-serious monologue poem, he would probably use words that people use everyday.  On the other hand if he was writing a dark and ominous monologue, he would probably use more urbane words to give the poem more of a scary sound.   The tone of this poem is dark and foreboding.   Mr. Still uses elevated diction which gives the poem more of a dark and sophisticated sound and feel.  If he were to talk like a country bumpkin and talk of the things that he was talking about, it wouldn't have had the same impact that the poem does and it would have sounded strange.

Lisla Brinkwater

I'd walked a mile till I met,

My friend, Miss Ella Jane,

We talked about my private jet,

Then switched to my great bane.

This bane was my great pride to have,

I talked of it with pleasure,

For many were the times I'd had

To sit with Jenny Zephyr.

Jenny's nose looked like a giant pea,

Whereas mine was thin and straight,

Jenny spoke like the BFG

But I spoke simply great.

I said "That Jenny is a pest,

When she's around I feel,

 That maybe I might not be best,

She treads on pride like banana peels."

The Rain

The rain thunders down about me like a waterfall.

It rushes, streaming down the windows,

Cleaning away the dirt and grime.

The trees bow to the ground under the extra weight,

The wind howls around the house, making a sound like ghosts

While it whistles among the trees.

The thunder booms like kettle drums on Mars, 

The lightning makes a jagged picture in the sky.

The house shivers, but stands its ground.

I stay inside under a blanket sipping a warm drink

While I watch the rain clean the earth.

Finally it is finished.

The trees shake off the last of the water as the sun warms their toes.

The sun makes a rainbow in the sky and there is new life.

Ode to Marshmallow

There were no mice when you were home

They fled in fear from your stately frame

They never ever ever came 

Into your feline kingdom.

 Even when we pulled your tail, 

You wouldn't bite or scratch or kick.

You liked the door and there you'd stick

Until twas ope'd then in you'd sail.

But then one day your neck grew red,

There was nary a thing to do,

And the sore just grew and grew

So Mom got gun and..BANG! You're dead.

Trouble

   One day as Wulf was about to go into Harold's castle, a man gave him a letter.  The letter was from Edith and it told him that the man who gave him the letter would take him back to her.  Wulf then hurried to get his horse and followed the man to the house that Edith was in.

   She greeted him and asked him how the king was doing.  He answered that he was doing well and he also told her the latest court news.  

   When he was finished, she told him to tell the king that she was doing well and that she missed him, but she would be fine knowing that he was doing his best for his country.

   When Wulf returned to the palace Osgod told him that the king had been wanting him.  Wulf hurried to the king and he told him about his visit with Edith.  Harold listened and then told him that he would talk with him more about it, but right then he had something that he needed to tell him.  It was that William of Normandy was getting a big army and coming to try and capture England.  Harold wanted Wulf to go and tell his brothers-in-law to get ready to fight, since William would first be going there.

  Wulf went to tell them, but when he told them they wouldn't listen to him and instead carried on hawking and hunting.

  About a fortnight later they heard that William and his men were getting closer, so then the men got together as many men as they could to fight William. 

 

Land

   They sighted land  and became very exited because they hadn't seen land in so long and were longing to put their feet on dry ground again.  They came closer to the island and they realized that it was Pukapuka island.(Middle-upper right hand corner of map) they were able to see the island faintly in the distance, but the wind was blowing them into the wrong current and so they headed in the wrong direction.  

   The next day they sighted more land and discovered from their map that it was the two coral reef islands Angatau and Fangahina.  The island that was most directly in their path was Angatau, so they set the steering oar in the direction of that island and trusted to the current and wind to take them there.

   They got closer and closer and by 6:00 that evening they were able to distinguish separate trees and branches on the island.  They were very excited, but knew that they had to be careful not to dash the raft on the rocky shore.  

    

Fitz-Urse

   The boy, Ulf, didn't see anything of Fitz-Urse, but after a few days of watching by the gate where Fitz-Urse would be likely to leave by, he saw him and followed him to the rivers edge.
   There, Fitz-Urse met with some men who talked with him in the Norman language from their boat.  Ulf didn't understand Norman and so he was not able to gather any more information beyond the fact that Fitz-Urse was up to something.
   To prevent this from happening again without him being able to know what they said, Ulf decided to ask Ulred (Osgod's father) to help him find someone who knew Norman.  (Ulf couldn't ask Wulf or Osgod to help him because they were away with the king.)  Ulred thought about the problem and decided that the best man to help who was loyal to the king and to Wulf and who knew Norman would be Beorn.
   Beorn was glad to help and together with Ulf they were able to find out where the people were hiding that had talked to Fitz-Urse.  They were in a boat in the bay, but were stuck and unable to get out because of the weather.
   Finally when the weather got better the boat set sail with Fitz-Urse in it.  Ulf, Ulred and Beorn decided to go and warn Wulf and Osgod so they could keep the king safe, as the men were probably heading for the king to kill him.  Ulred and Ulf rode on a boat to get to Wulf, and Beorn took his horse and raced to get there as fast as he could.
   Ulred and Ulf got there first and told Wulf what had happened.  Wulf said that he would think of a plan to save the king and they all went to bed.