Word Hoard

They say if you don’t use a thing for a year It’s time to get rid of it, just to be clear Feel free to sell it or give it away But to get clutter free, just don’t let it stay So, I checked my garage for stuff I could lose-- and found hundreds of words I simply don’t use! Lilliputian and Sprightly stood on a shelf Elbow-to-elbow with some wry little elf Bucolic and Bumpkin were squirreled away Beneath a big bale of bright yellow hay Garish and Gaudy were in a glittery box with Trinkets and Baubles set with fake rocks Surreptitious and Unobtrusive tried to avoid being seen But I caught 'em sneaking off with Clandestine Beyond these loose words, which filled many a bin Lay whole turns of phrase like Much to My Chagrin I held up to the light a Gossamer Veil Then dumped it in a Perfidious Betrayal An Ethereal Cloud, glued to the ceiling I scraped off with an Ambivalent Feeling I rolled back the rug to see what I'd missed, There before me stretched a Yawning Abyss Into a huge crate, these big words I did toss Bobbing on top were Flotsam, Jetsam and Dross Fatigued by these labors, I took a short break But that little respite may have been my mistake Soon I was deep in most Pensive Reflection On how Assiduously I had built this collection In crept Myriad Doubts about so brash a move What if I meet some Cad I need to Reprove? What if some Craven Cur should Incur my Wrath But words fail me due to this Ill-Chosen Path? Well, soon that old crate was quite empty once more And cluttered again were bin, shelf, drawer and floor But one thing has changed, this is Palpably Clear My Leviathan Word Horde I now Deeply Revere Intrepid and Dauntless, I sling without fear Iota and Mote.. I dust off once a year! ____________________________ by Brian McClain - Feb 2, 2016