Wordbirds, 78

AT LAST—We’ve now commenced our third—and final—journey through Webster’s 3rd. This time, I’m picking a word near the middle of each entry for each letter—a word that interests me for some reason or a word I’d not ever known before—and surrounding it with a frayed coat of doggerel.

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

yenshee noun [yen-SHEE]

the residue found in the bowl of an opium pipe by smoking

She said his breath was like yenshee—

Unpleasant and against the law.

He felt a hardening of his jaw:

“How dare you think to speak to me

So disrespectfully!” He turned

Away. And felt his anger roar—

He couldn’t like her anymore.

“She hasn’t softened! Hasn’t learned!”

His anger finally grew so ripe

He wasn’t sure what he should do,

And after he had thought it through,

He loaded up and smoked a pipe.

He mellowed out, and reached for more,

Then heard some footsteps on the walk.

“She’s back!” he cried. “ She wants to talk!”

And then the cops kicked in the door.