Category Archives: Essays

May 4, 2018

Sith – Friday’s Word of the Day

By Kat Myrman

May the Fourth be with You! Friday’s Word of the Day at Dictionary.com is sith, and if you’re a nerd it means something entirely different to you that its archaic (dictionary’s word, not mine) definition. It’s an adverb that means “since”. Dictionary says sith (obsolete), originated before 950; Middle English; Old English siththa, dialectal variant of siththan, orig., sīth thām after that, subsequently to that, equivalent to sīth subsequently (akin to Gothic seithus, Old Norse sīth- late, German seit since) + thām, dative of demonstrative pronoun, i.e., “to that”; compare Old Norse sīthan sith.

But the word in today’s vocabulary has gained popularity as a reference to dark forces from the Star Wars sagas. Wikipedia gives a good background for the modern word sith, implying that the word originated in 1976, which lends additional credence to the “obsolete” nature of the original word that is said to have fallen from usage in the 16th Century.

For those of you who are not Star Wars enthusiasts, here is a snippet from Wikipedia: The Sith originated in a species of Force-sensitive warriors who discovered the efficacy of passion as a tool to draw on the Force approximately 6,000 years prior to the events of the first Star Wars film. Fully embracing this approach, they became defined and corrupted by it.

The Sith are major antagonists in the space opera franchise Star Wars. They are depicted as an ancient monastic and kraterocratic organization of supernaturally gifted warriors driven by an agenda of galactic domination and revenge against their predecessors, the Jedi.


Darth Sidious

There are several theories regarding how George Lucas came to call this evil side of the force, the Sith. Some believe it is a combination of names Darth and Sidious, for the Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. Scheming, powerful, and evil to the core, Darth Sidious restored the Sith and destroyed the Jedi Order. Others believe it was chosen for its snakelike sound, Siithththth. But it is clear that no reference was ever made to the original word sith.

On that note, back to our word of the day and its former use. Here are a few examples:

They said it was a great matter, sith I had risked mine own life.” Emily Sarah Holt, Clare Avery

“Sith Alwyn vails of himself, it is thine, by might and by right.” Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Last Of The Barons, Complete

“Why, I reckon it cannot be over nine days sith thine were writ.” Emily Sarah Holt, Joyce Morrell’s Harvest

“Here’s twentye groates of white moneye, Sith thou will have it of mee.” Various Authors, A Book of Ballads, Volume 3

So there you have it. Sith, an obsolete, resurrected word that is now the stuff of legends. “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….” A sith once meant since, and is now the name for dark forces that resulted from a passion for power run amuck!

I’m afraid today’s Haiku is a jumble. But here it is!

sith it is the fourth
a day we honor the force
not for Sith…Jedi

~kat

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

April 29, 2018

Black on Black – NaPoWriMo 2018 Day 29

By Kat Myrman

it’s slimming, you know, blackish on black
but too many layers, just make me look fat
oh I could be goth if I wasn’t so blond but
I’ve got the pale down pat, so there’s that

still I like things bright and cheery, alive
it helps keep me sane and it helps me survive
without light I’m doomed, a misery glut
we creatures of habit need sunlight to thrive

yes, I’ve had my fill of doldrums and gloom
of lunacy’s folly, of shuttered dark rooms
of drudge on a schedule, of digging a rut
of omens and ominous warnings of doom

I choose to avoid the downers in life
drama, angst, those unnecessary strifes
I’m partial to black ‘cause it hides my fat gut
but don’t let that fool you, my blessings are rife

~kat

For NaPoWriMo 2018 Day 29, Prompt: write a poem based on the Plath Poetry Project’s calendar. https://plathpoetryproject.com/write/calendar/ Simply pick a poem from the calendar, and then write a poem that responds or engages with your chosen Plath poem in some way.

So, I read a few Plath poems. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but her poetry is a little “out there”. I know, this, coming from me. SMH. I finally settled on “Crossing the Water” (see it below). It’s the only one that my simple brain could make any sense of. It’s about things black and bleak and foreboding, deep. I get that. Oh yes…I get black in that sense of the word. I have medication for that. It helps me see glimmers of light, just enough to pluck every day miracles from the chaos. But since today’s prompt is asking us to go there…I’m game, but only for this challenge. I prefer chasing butterflies. And now that I’m finished crafting today’s poem I change my mind. I lied…just couldn’t let myself go there. Sorry Sylvia, you’re on your own.

Crossing the Water
by Sylvia Plath

Black lake, black boat, two black, cut-paper people.
Where do the black trees go that drink here?
Their shadows must cover Canada.

A little light is filtering from the water flowers.
Their leaves do not wish us to hurry:
They are round and flat and full of dark advice.

Cold worlds shake from the oar.
The spirit of blackness is in us, it is in the fishes.
A snag is lifting a valedictory, pale hand;

Stars open among the lilies.
Are you not blinded by such expressionless sirens?
This is the silence of astounded souls.

7 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

April 29, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 29 April 2018

By Kat Myrman

Today’s ReVerse is loaded. In just 25 random lines (yes, I counted) acid streams of my subconsciousness have spilled out on a screen and are now glaring at me. If I didn’t do this little looking back exercise every week, I’d be tempted to scrap this one, declaring that it just didn’t make sense this week. It would be true, of course, to the innocent bystander, but not to me. You know how when you are young, with the whole world and life’s possibilities ahead of you, and hopeful? And then at some point you realize that life has no interest in bolstering your best laid plans because life is a crapshoot and the dealer is on the take to the highest bidder, and you’re not it, not by a long shot? So you settle into your unlucky self, count your losses, and call it a night, not realizing that the whole thing was rigged against you from the start? Don’t ask me why. Hell if I know. But it comes down to this. Life is disappointing sometimes. Of course it has its spectacular moments, but sometimes it doesn’t, and we find ourselves settling because we’re tired of fighting. And we grow accustomed to things being just okay and realize that okay is okay. Today’s ReVerse is all that, for me at least. I guess you had to be there.

On a side note…Happy Full Pink Moon! It sounds innocuous…full…pink. But the astrological facts surrounding this month’s lunation shed more light on this past week’s regurgitations perfectly. As one seer explained, “this full moon is all about bringing toxic emotions to the surface and releasing them.” Yup, I tasted the sour ick and felt the burn as this collection of lines spewed out. That explains it. I am as powerless against Luna’s wiles as the tides. But I shall surrender each grain of sand to that sea of oblivion, if you will. At next week’s ReVerse I hope resume my light, line by line banter about spring flowers and the weather, with occasional jabs at political fools. Until then, go gently in your corner of the world. If you wondered why all the sludge you’d thought you’d buried long ago, rose to the surface this week, you can blame it on the moon. Today is the day to let it all go. Tomorrow is a new day.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 29 April 2018

a sign spring’s coming soon, on the brink
when stars realigned and…
can you hear the rose petals laughing, leaves trembling?
i’m warming to the gray
it is a party
but not love
songbirds at dawn, mourning doves
they always knew.
let’s stop this lunacy
like tiny worlds within worlds,
in the cool misty brume
where most anything flies, pigs and crime
little things…like details, lies, and small talk…they make me crazy.
c’est le sweet spot d’une fleur, ooh-la-la!
none of us could have saved you.
beautiful flowers cling
watching, that black-eyed stare
innocence intact, not jaded
a forgotten craft
but already tides swoon
Forgive me for not saying goodbye this time.
breathe deeply the dawn
open to life’s hope
it is not out there
sweetness aching red

~kat

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review

April 22, 2018

Details! Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 22 April 2018

By Kat Myrman


Details, details…please don’t be bothered by them in this week’s reverse. It all sounds so gloomy and doomy, but those are just the facts, ma’am. I get it. But the bottom line? If the first 4/5ths of this weave don’t swallow you in the details, you’ll make it to my unsinkable mantra. Always the optimist, and why the hell not. We might as well make the best of it (my it, your it, the it’s, of course may, and do, vary). That is to say again, for the record, be kind, most of all to yourself. Go gently into the coming week!

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 22 April 2018

latticed burst of crimson
I’ll write it for you in blood / worm-feed in an unmarked grave
carnage marks its path
to blame for its untimely end
flowers; withering, death
What’s left of it
red danger on display,
burning those who get too close…
cried myth
I wonder what will become of us?
far from dandy, indeed, blown to hell
nomadic, wind riders
receiving a rose
mean rain, or so you’d guess,
sometimes, when I dream
ballads, wild psychedelic trips, mania, decades
though stormy clouds may loom, life is good
it’s an odd coupling
history will prove it when less is at stake
roots planted, shallowly

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review

April 20, 2018

Neatnik – Friday’s Word of the Day

By Kat Myrman

Today’s word of the day at dictionary.com is neatnik. Neatnik is a slang word that means a person  who  is extremely  neat about surroundings,  appearance, etc. It originated, according to dictionary.com, in opposition to the word beatnik,defined as a scruffy,  unshaven member of the “beat” generation (coined in 1958). The common element in both words is the suffix -nik. -Nik is a Yiddish term Slavic in origin. Its meaning is similar to the English suffix -er as in doer, thinker, dancer, etc. Its use denotes a person associated with a specified thing or quality.

Words with the suffix -nik gained popularity in the mid to late 1960’s when the Soviet Sputnik, the worlds first man-made satellite, came on the scene. By definition, a sputnik is a person (or thing) who travels with you on a path (put)* – in other words, a traveling companion. During this time there seemed to be no end to the new words (often derogatory in nature) that were coined using this suffix.

Of course there is our word of the day, NEATNIK, and its cousin, BEATNIK. And there were these iterations that you might recognize:

KAPUTNIK/FLOPNIK (1957), failed U.S. satellite attempt;
MUTTNIK (1957), Soviet satellite with dog aboard;
PEACENIK (1963), originally, opponent of the war in Vietnam;
PROTESTNIK (1965), protester against the war in Vietnam;
REFUSENIK (1975), Soviet Jews denied emigration, and also (1983), one who refused to obey orders as a form of protest;
NOSHNIK, one who likes to nosh (Yiddish for ‘eat snacks’);  STRAIGHTNIK, a heterosexual;  FILMNIK; JAZZNIK; FOLKNIK; BACHNIK; FREUDNIK; (definitions self explanatory)
BUSHNIK, admirerers of George Bush;
NOGOODNIK, a no-good person;
KIBBUTZNIK, a person who lives on a kibbutz;
BEARDNIK, a person with a beard;
SICKNIK, a sicko; a person who is perverse or mentally disturbed;
NUDNIK, a person who is very annoying; a persistent nag.

And of things political in Russia:
RASKOLNIK (1723), a dissenter from the national Church in Russia;
CHINOVNIK/TCHINOVNIK (1877), in Tsarist Russia, a government official, a civil servant, especially a minor functionary, a clerk;
NARODNIK (1885), ‘member of the (common) people,’ a supporter of a type of socialism originating amongst the Russian intelligentsia in the late 19th century and which looked on the peasants and intellectuals as revolutionary forces; a Russian populist. In extended use: a person who tries to politicize a community of rural or urban poor while sharing their living conditions; the name by which pre-Marxist Russian socialists are now generally known;
KOLKHOZNIK (1955), a member of a collective farm (a kolkhoz – 1921) in the U.S.S.R.

Here’s a a link to Wikipedia and an exhaustive list of all things -nik. Oh yes, there are more!

Just in the nick of time, 😉 here is a short three line verse (that is not a proper haiku, though it follows the 5-7-5 syllable rule) to put today’s word of the day to rest. What word would you coin using the suffix -nik? It would be a shame to let such a versatile suffix go to waste! 😊

when a neatnik is
the roommate of a beatnik
it’s an odd coupling

~kat

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku