Howdy!

Whoa, Nellie! Things happened so fast yesterday evening that my head is still swimming this morning.

I was in the middle of a writing project ... I always seem to be in the middle ... of something ... some idea has nudged me ... and there I am, chained to the keyboard again.

I decided to take a break ... by checking for e-mails ... among them was one from my friend, Helen, of Florida ... Subject: REGARDING GUEST EDITOR'S PICK.

Helen had seen a reference to that in "Chosen Words" ... and wanted me to explain.

A few minutes later I was explaining to Helen that "Chosen Words" had been honored by Guest Editor Chelle (who has a beautiful journal, "Reflections") by being named, along with four others: Vagabond Journeys, Porchswingpoet, Rosarium, and I was thinking ...

What a great surprise to be named in such company! I am both honored and humbled ... my thanks to Chelle ... and to all who dropped by for a visit. I do hope "Chosen Words" measured up to your expectations ... and will continue to do so.

Meanwhile ...

Some of you may have seen today's poem before ... when it was originally published ... or later here on "Chosen Words."

Sorry about that (summer reruns, you know).

But I think it might be worth a second look.

It all begain when ...

There was a lull in the festivities at my high school class reunion, class of ... let's just say we graduated somewhere in the previous century ... and Floyd was saying, "You know what I remember about you?"

Uh-oh. I braced myself and allowed as how I didn't have the foggiest notion of what he remembered.

"During study hall, you'd go to that big dictionary at the east windows, and I'd swear you were standing there, just reading it for pleasure," he said.

That's right! I remembered that, too. It was a huge dictionary. I would go to it to unlock the mystery of some new word I'd encountered ... then I'd get sidetracked. There were so many other words I was curious about ... so many other avenues to explore. I can't imagine how much time I must've spent with that book. Oh, what great times those were!

My reverie was interrupted.

Floyd was saying, "As a matter of fact, you introduced me to the word 'laconic'. I'll never forget that."

Well, I had certainly forgotten. That didn't even ring the teeniest of bells. But I was intrigued by the fact that he had remembered 'laconic' all those years. The wheels started turning. In coming weeks and months, I thought about Floyd's comment. A lot.

It wouldn't turn me loose. It released its grip slightly when I finally sat down and wrote "Howdy!" ... and a little more when it was accepted for publication.

The moral (I suppose): Words you've planted with someone, years and years ago, may come back to haunt you. But then you have material for another poem, right? Right.

The poem goes something like this:

HOWDY!

I grew up

wanting to be laconic,

because my models

were mostly Saturday

matinee heroes.

Their voices were

leathery, dust-covered,

wind-blown, spare

sounding voices.

I dreamed of my own

young voice becoming

like theirs, joining

those deep voices,

saying deep things.

But laconic?

Tried it. Liked it.

Some. Found it lonely,

though, on those long

rides between words.

© 2005

(originally published in The Christian Science Monitor)

***

Today's word: laconic

Afterthoughts ... in response to your comments:

Thank you, thank you, Michelle ... for those additional kind words for my journal ... after turning the spotlight on it in such a dazzling way. You're right, of course, that words become ours through use ... even something like "laconic" ... though I find that "ordinary" words can serve to convey the magic of a sunset ... or a gentle rain ... or friendships. And it looks like a great weekend ahead ... thank you very much. Best wishes to you, too.

Thank you, Beth, for stopping by ... and it's good to meet someone else who enjoys following the words where they want to lead. So many times I would ... still do ... go to the dictionary to look up just one word ... then find myself trailing off in several directions, eager to see what the next entry would reveal to me. It was like being turned loose in a candy store.

Many thanks, Bucko ... and best wishes with your own journal.

Congratulations to you, too, DB! And thank you so much for that kind comment about "Chosen Words" ... which makes me feel twice-honored. I'm not at all sure that I should be placed in such company as Stephen Vincent Benet ... but if you find even a faint resemblance in what I've written, I am honored. Thank you for stopping by ... I shall pay a return visit ... as soon as I calm down a bit.

Thank you, Betty! It's good to know that I have company in sometimes lingering at the dictionary to explore the side paths after finding the word I originally went there to look up. For the longest time I thought I might be the only person doing that.

Thank you, Southernmush, for yet another electronic pat on the back ... and for all the others you've given me along the way. They have helped to keep me going. As you know, my time at the keyboard is sometimes limited, but you ... and others ... have helped to make my sessions here really enjoyable interludes. With such encouragement, I shall certainly keep trying to keep it coming. Best wishes to you, too.

Hey, no problem, Featheredpines ... the party is still going strong. Thank you so much for these kind words ... and the many others you've brought this way. Continued best wishes.