Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J-day / Jaunty


The letter ‘J’ could be an easy letter to blog about, but words are not rolling off my fingers today as I improvise my blog entry. The shape of the letter reminds me of a hook, such as one needs at the beginning, to entice a reader to continue on through the blither and blather of thoughts, tales, or poetic musings that will follow. And here I am, sitting at the beginning with no hook in sight – unless you count that bait-less little curve on the “J” up there at the top of the page.

The word Jaunty came to mind as I typed through a few J-words on wordwebonline. Here’s a word we don’t read too often now, its essence more a part of past cultures than our present references for dapper, dashing, natty, raffish, rakish, spiffy, spruce, and pert – all related words for dressing in an up-dated, stylish manner (per wordwebonline).

Today, those with fashion sense – well, they just know how to be connected to a world of clothing and textiles that tends to baffle me. I’m not a fashion diva, have always been at least a few years behind, sometimes managing to have the fashion cycles catch back up with me! Those years are nice, because without changing my wardrobe, I’m “in style” though it never lasts, and I don’t tend to change, so it’s back to being “me” and not “in style.”

Jaunty also references a sense of lively spirit and that I CAN relate to. This is a sense of being animated, fully alive to all the nuances of each day, seeing the sun behind the clouds and the positives in a rainy day. I think the word summarizes the kind of confidence in self and life that enables a person to pursue their passions, not find failure when glitches arise, but rather find stepping stones to the next page, the next idea, the next pursuit. As a writer, I would use “jaunty” to describe some of my more engaging characters even if it is a word that has a few readers scratching their heads, wondering, “Jaunty?”  Try it on for size. You might just find the essence fits you to a “T” whether “in style” or not.

 Jaunty Fashions

Tanned bodies
no longer in high regard,
today’s fashion experiment
flows on bodies
in black or colored inks.

From top of the head,
along necks, arms,
backs, abdomens
and legs, life stories
blossom in bold detail.

Pierced parts punctuate
like phrase outlines,
dance in gleaming silver,
diamond studs, or large,
hooped or dangling designs.

Clothing accentuates
accessorized bodies
and not the other way around,
flowing vests
over silk shirts,
arms visible, backs open,
material minimized
whenever possible.

Pity the over fifty crowd,
in search of jaunty attire,
the styles of youth
an outlandish statement
on most mature physiques.

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