New words that visited me last week, set to a four-beat, three-beat measure. Most ballads use this beat - a tetrameter alternating with trimeter. That’s also a form highly favoured by Emily Dickinson

*******

Words jump about a lot these days,

Look, here’s another one!

Tumbling out of my book, it stands,

Ramrod straight and winsome.

 

Interplay of light and shadow,

On one surface common,

For sure it’s chiaroscuro, but

The depth’s an illusion.

 

Would you believe it if I said

Succubus lusts for fun?

Donning female form it screws men

Wily, wicked demon!

 

Sabrina, the teenage witch, in

disgust her rule-book shuns,

‘No sarsaparilla, ever’, Why?

What’s wrong with everyone?!

 

Opsimath joins the party late,

Somewhat short on passion,

Till one day he finds his calling,

And then scrambles to learn.

 

Loose the stripes, improve the tiger!

Is that true evolution?!

If that’s what eugenics is, Pray

Don’t try it on humans!

 

A mouthful it is, the next one,

Ah! Sesquipedalian,

Loves big words, and that’s also a name,

For a verbose person.

 

Quite a punch it packs, this smally

Can give rise to tensions,

Verbal attacks, debates, disputes

Polemic, all and one

 

Traduce, now that’s simple enough

A word that shows action,

Quick! Deny it NOW as you have, 

Harmed some reputations!

 

Whining, whinging Jeremiad

A Biblical notion,

Saying that bad things will happen,

A mean lamentation. 

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