Wider than the Sky.

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"The Brain — 

is wider than the Sky."

 ~ Emily Dickinson

I love this quote from one of Dickinson's poems. Just think of all the amazing, awesome things that can fit inside our brains -- dreams, stories, memories, ideas. Our imaginations are limitless, much wider than the sky!

Etymology

The word I want to talk about this week is etymology [et-uh-mol-uh-jee]. According to Wikipedia, this noun means "the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time".

Additionally, if I say "the etymology of _____" (and then fill in the blank with any word),  I'm referring to the origin of whatever word I used to fill in the blank. Here are a few examples using this week's word:

I love words and have always 

been interested in etymology.

Have you ever heard the etymology 

of the word "hippopotamus"? 

The Ancient Greek word "hippos" means "horse" 

and "potamus" means "river"... 

so "hippopotamus" means "river horse"!

Have you ever been curious about the etymology of the words you see and hear around you every day? How would you use the word of the week?

Down to Sleep

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Down to Sleep

November woods are bare and still;
November days are clear and bright;
Each noon burns up the morning's chill;
The morning's snow is gone by night.
Each day my steps grow slow, grow light,
As through the woods I reverent creep,
Watching all things lie "down to sleep."

I never knew before what beds,
Fragrant to smell, and soft to touch,
The forest sifts and shapes and spreads;
I never knew before how much
Of human sound there is in such
Low tones as through the forest sweep,
When all wild things lie "down to sleep."

Each day I find new coverlids
Tucked in, and more sweet eyes shut tight;
Sometimes the viewless mother bids
Her ferns kneel down full in my sight;
I hear their chorus of "good-night";
And half I smile, and half I weep,
Listening while they lie "down to sleep."

November woods are bare and still;
November days are bright and good;
Life's noon burns up life's morning chill;
Life's night rests feet which long have stood;
Some warm soft bed, in field or wood,
The mother will not fail to keep,
Where we can "lay us down to sleep."

~ Helen Hunt Jackson

Maybe it is only because she keeps repeating the words "down to sleep", but Jackson's poem reminds me of a lullaby, or a bedtime story. I can picture the trees, the undergrowth, the wild creatures all settling in for a long winter's nap. Reading this makes me want to curl up with a warm blanket and close my eyes... just for a few... short... minutes... zzzzzzz....

Mystery and magic...

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An excerpt:

     Well-chosen words surprise readers and invite them into a poem’s “secret world”. Words can be full of mystery and magic every time you say them. They are full of beauty, meaning, and sound, and they can reveal new things about the world around you. Poets write to make these new discoveries, but they also write because of their love for words. Written on paper and shared with others, words have the power to stir our emotions and transport us to different places and times.

~ from Understanding Poetry: 

Puns, Allusions, and Other Word Secrets,

written by Jennifer Fandel

Why do I love words and poetry so much? I could take each one of the sentences from this excerpt and use it as my answer. I love the beauty of words, their sounds, the way they can surprise us or stir our emotions. I love how words are filled with mystery and magic. Do you like words, too? What do you like about them?

A discount ticket...

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"Reading 

is a discount ticket 

to everywhere." 

~ Mary Schmich

That is one of the things that I love about reading -- books transport us to different lands and different times, giving us insight into different people. We can travel around our world -- or other worlds -- by turning a page. And all it costs is a few dollars... or one library card!

Splinter

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Splinter

The voice of the last cricket
across the first frost
is one kind of good-by.
It is so thin a splinter of singing.

~ Carl Sandburg

I love how Sandburg sets a mood in just four short lines. Reading his words leaves me feeling a little sad and fills my head with images of goodbyes, autumn, winter, the passage of time, and so much more. What does this poem say to you?

Exploring a territory...

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“The word invent 

(or even making up) 

has always seemed a little too 

intentional and deliberate 

for what I do, 

which feels more like 

finding things, 

coming upon them — 

places, people, patterns. 

[...]

Exploration 

is a very good word 

for what one does 

when thinking about a story 

before writing and 

while writing it. 

You are exploring a territory, 

finding out what happens there.

 Only you do it with 

thoughts, images, words, 

instead of with your body.” 

~ Ursula K. Le Guin, 

in The Wand in the Word: 

Conversations with Writers of Fantasy

I agree with Ms. Le Guin -- when I write, it really does seem more like I'm exploring a territory and finding the various parts of my story, rather than inventing it out of thin air. I gather all of the pieces I can find and then put them together with my words.

Do you ever feel this way when you are writing?

Mellifluous

This week's word is mellifluous [muh-lif-loo-uh s], an adjective that means sweet-sounding or "sweetly or smoothly flowing". I like to say and hear the word and think that it is, itself, mellifluous. :)

Here are a few examples I wrote, using it in a sentence:

The mellifluous tones of the handbell choir 

echoed throughout the church.

She enchanted me with her mellifluous voice.

I loved the mellifluous feel of 

the author's words in his poems.

How would you use the word mellifluous? What are some words that you like to say or hear?

Who Are You, Little I

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who are you, little i

(five or six years old)
peering from some high

window;at the gold


of November sunset

(and feeling:that if day
has to become night

this is a beautiful way)

~ e. e. cummings

I am a big fan of e.e. cummings and his poetry. This poem is no exception. I love the nostalgic feeling in the words -- I, too, remember looking out my window as a young girl, watching the sun set. And I, too, believe that sunsets are a beautiful way for day to become night. Reading this poem makes my heart happy. :) What do you feel when you read it?

My Favorite Things

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My Favorite Things

Greasy green lizards
and raw chicken gizzards,
spell-binding spells
cast by spell-casting wizards.
Dead mice and head lice
and flapping bat wings--
these are a few of my favorite things!

Bare bones and tombstones
in old cemeteries,
unsweetened pies filled
with wild sour cherries.
Cat claws and rat paws
and bumblebee stings--
these are a few of my favorite things!

Haunting, taunting--
life gets daunting.
That's when this witch sighs,
I simply remember
my favorite things
and fly through October skies!

~ Bobbi Katz, 

from The Monsterologist: 

A Memoir in Rhyme

I love the The Sound of Music and its song "My Favorite Things". Reading this poem (and then singing it to the tune of the song from the musical) made me grin like a jack-o-lantern! It's creepy and silly at the same time. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Wishing you all a bootiful Halloween, filled with spooktacular treats! :)