Wordbirds, 24

This new series—“Wordbirds”—arises from a journey I am taking through my Webster’s 3rd Dictionary. What I’m doing: I look on the first page for each letter, and the first word that flies up at me (because I don’t know it, because I just think it’s interesting, etc.) becomes the subject for that day’s doggerel. I will move through letter z, then work my way back again, the second time using the last page of each letter’s section of Webster's. Let’s see what happens ...

Words that flew into my life from Webster’s 3^rd …

xanthic adj.

of, relating to, or tending toward a yellow color

They noticed right there on his back—

A stripe a person ought to lack.

It had a xanthic quality—

That's yellow, as it's clear to see.

His cowardice was obvious

To every single one of us.

And so we all were quite surprised

When he emerged so super-sized.

We know now where the coward went:

His first name—Clark; his last name—Kent.