A Splash of Nash

Mug Shot. Ink & dyes on illustration board

When my grandfather retired and my grandparents moved back to West Virginia, my grandmother designed the house they built. Instead of wainscoting, the living room was lined with bookshelves. In the basement there was one room that consisted of four walls of bookshelves, floor to ceiling. 

Among other things, Grandma was an avid reader. One of the books in her living room was a fat, maroon hardcover volume of poems by Ogden Nash. Nash (1902–1971) was an American poet and humorist renowned for his witty, light verse. Born in Rye, New York, he gained fame through his playful, often whimsical poetry that combined clever wordplay, puns, and unexpected rhymes. 

His poems humorously explored everyday life, human quirks, and societal absurdities. In addition to writing for The New Yorker I've since learned that he also wrote lyrics for Broadway shows.

You'd think that writing humorous pithy prose would be easy, but I'd suggest it's not as simple as you'd think. Nash makes it look easy, though. He published 20 books of poetry for children of all ages. 

Here's an example, and why I often pulled his large volume off he shelf to peruse now and then when visiting my grandparents.

Family Court

One would be in less danger

From the wiles of a stranger

If one's own kin and kith

Were more fun to be with.

😎 

Here are a few of my own short pieces. 

One True Measure 

We measure our lives

by one True Measure:

Our proximity--Far or Near,

Day by Day, Year by Year--

to our Heart's Treasure.

e.

Eclipse

In the days of the Solar Eclipse

when the sun for a time hid its face

the creatures of night all emerged to explore

the strange world of non-light at mid-day. 
e.

Childhood's Beauty

It knows not the darkness,

or rather, lacking words

to define what is only sensed,

the child escapes

in innocence.

e.

To Be

Authentic inclinations 

-- to thine own self be true --

without inhibitions, 

get in touch with your roots.

e.

Oxford's Word of the Year and My Own New Word: Naptural

Seaside, Florida (Photo: Gary Firstenberg

Well, it's getting to be that time again. Pretty soon Time Magazine will announce a Person of the Year. Others will assemble articles about the famous people we've lost this year. And many of us will reflect on the dear friends we've lost. We'll no doubt get many top ten lists, and a lot of speculation about where things are headed in 2023. 

So it came as no surprise to learn that Oxford Languages, creator of the Oxford Dictionary, has announced its "Word of the Year." Funny thing. The word is actually an expression and the expression is "Goblin mode." It's a slang term that means a "type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."

Seems like I've met this person, but I'm not here to name names. Like Dylan, I'm trying to avoid "finger pointing songs."

What I really wanted to share was the new word I created: Naptural. 

Instead of using artificial stimulants like energy drinks of caffeine to stay awake, take a nap. Naps are a Naptural way to recharge your batteries. Why get all wired on chemical stimulants when you can relax to renew.

I understand that some people have trouble napping. For the rest of us, it's simply good to make time for rest. True, I've been guilty of pushing the pedal to the metal for much of my life. That is, trying to pack and cram as much into my day as possible. I'm not sure it's entirely healthy.

Don't get me wrong. I am not promoting Goblin mode. Like rechargeable batteries, we ourselves need to recharge periodically. When you do, do it napturally. 

If you like the word, you're free to use it. Perhaps it will become a word of the year somewhere in the future and your friends will notice that you were an early adopter.

Here's the original story about Goblin mode, from NPR.

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