NaPoWriMo Day 17: Today, I challenge you to find, either on your shelves or online, a specialized dictionary. This could be, for example, a dictionary of nautical terms, or woodworking terms, or geology terms. Anything, really, so long as it’s not a standard dictionary! Now write a poem that incorporates at least ten words from your specialized source. Happy writing! 

The closest thing I could find to fornication is “fortications,” which are fenced cities.
And homosexuality is clearly missing between the words “Homer” and “Honey.”
But, pray tell why is “Bethany” a house of misery?
Or why must “Dance” be a contrast to mourning?
Why can’t we be just happy?
My own name was nowhere to be found —
It would have come after the “Lord’s Supper”
So does that mean I am just dessert?
Interestingly, there is more written about “wine” than this supper —
“Celebrated with great rejoicings… they encouraged each other by shouts”
This, to me, makes so much sense.
As blowing one’s “trumpet” is what life is all about!
Besides happy, other words not to be found were glad or gay.
“Sin” is simply a city in Egypt mentioned only by Ezekiel.
But the Jews are making “sin offerings”… What the hay?

~Just L (April 17, 2016)

 Selected words from “A Dictionary of the Bible” by Wm. Smith LLD. – Teacher’s Edition, 1884: Bethany. House of dates or house of misery (p. 85); Dance. The dance is spoken of in Holy Scripture universally as symbolical for rejoicing, and is often coupled for the sake of contrast with mourning. (p. 135); Fortications. Fenced Cities. (p. 198); Homer. Weights and Measures. (p. 251); Honey. The Hebrew debash in the first place applies to the product of the bee. (p. 251); Lord’s Supper. Two- half pages of explanation (pp. 364-365); Sin. A city in Egypt mentioned only by Ezekiel (p. 633); Sin offering. The sin offering among the Jews was the sacrifice in which for propitiation and of atonement for sin were most distinctly marked. (p. 633); Trumpet. Cornet. (p. 714); Wine. More than I can possibly explain…. (pp. 746-747)