Some people collect things - stamps or baseball caps or mugs or figurines, etc. I collect themes and life lessons, ideas and thoughts, words, phrases, and lines. I do this with the intention of including in my current and future work, be that poetry, stories, or books. I thought I would share some of my favorites from my mental ‘chest of drawers’.
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Chest of Drawers: Favorite Words
Absentee = A person who is missing
Abstinence = Do without
Acolyte = Attendant, assistant, follower
Adversary = An opponent
Advocate = Person who speaks on behalf of another
Afterthought = Thing that is thought of or added later
Alien = Foreign
Anecdote = Short story about incident or person, perhaps unreliable or hearsay
Anguish = Severe mental or physical pain or suffering
Anomaly = Something irregular or inconsistent
Antidote = Counteract or cancel
Arbiter = Person who settles a dispute, influence over trends in social behavior
Artifact = Finding, souvenir, an item of cultural or historical interest
Asylum = Shelter for a refugee
Aurora borealis = Magnetic lights
Bag Lady = Loner and loser
Bewitch = Cast a spell and gain control over someone by magic
Bigamist = Married to more than one wife, two-timer
Biological clock = Innate mechanism that controls physiological activities of organism, cycle
Bittersweet = Pleasure accompanied by suffering or regret
Bivouac = A temporary camp
Black hole = Nothing can escape
Blasphemy = Speak sacrilegiously about God, profane talk
Bluster = Indignant talk with little effect
Bogeyman = An imaginary evil spirit
Bon vivant = A person who enjoys a sociable and luxurious lifestyle
Booby trap = Trap set as a practical joke
Broken glass = Shattered dreams or expectations
Cameo = Minor part, short sketch
Castaway = A person who is stranded
Casualty = A person badly affected by an event or situation
Caricature = Exaggerated picture or description, comic, grotesque
Cathartic = Something that provides psychological relief
Chaperone = A person who accompanies or looks after others
Charisma = Compelling attractiveness or charm
Cliché = Overused phrase or idea
Clone = A copy, an organism produced asexually but as identical
Cocoon = Envelop or surround in a protective or comforting way
Confiscate = Take or seize someone’s property
Con man = Someone who cheats to tricks by means of a confidence game
Constituent = A part of the whole
Contraband = Illegal goods
Conundrum = A confusing and difficult problem or question
Country music = Caricature of sadness
Crusade = Organized campaign
Cuckold = Make man a cuckold by having sex with his wife
Debutante = An upper-class young woman making her first appearance in society
Decoy = Lure or entice away from an intended course, trap
Deficit = A deficiency or failing
Degenerate = Immoral or corrupt person, lost qualities considered normal and desirable
Déjà vu = Feeling of having experienced a present situation before
Demon = Evil spirit or devil, tormentor
Desperado = A desperate or reckless person, especially a criminal
Destiny = Hidden power that controls what happens in the future, fate
Détente = Easing of hostility or strained relations
Devotee = A strong believer in something
Dilettante = A person with amateur interest, lacking real commitment or knowledge
Diplomat = A person who can deal with people in a sensitive and effective way
Disciple = A follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher
Doppelganger = An apparition or double of a living person
Double-edged sword = A situation or event that has both positive and negative consequences
Double entendre = Double meaning, one obvious, one requires more thought
Dust motes = Something tiny, a speck or bit or speckle
Echo = Sound reflections, repetition of an idea
Emigrant = Person who leaves one country to settle in another
Enchant = Fill with great delight or charm, put under spell
Enemy = Person actively opposed or hostile to something or someone
Enigma = Person that is mysterious, puzzling, difficult to understand
Ennui = Feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction, need for action where there is none, boredom
Epilogue = A short concluding section
Epitaph = Words in memory of
Eunuch = A man who has been castrated, an ineffectual person
Expatriate = A person who lives outside their native country
False front = Façade, appearance or manner intended to deceive
False positive = Test indicates condition that is not present
Faux pas = An embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation
Fernweh (N) = A longing for far off places
Food chain = Hierarchical series each dependent on the next as food source
Fool’s gold = No real value
Forbidden fruit = A thing that is desired all the more because it is not allowed
Forlorn = Pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely
Frisson = Contemplating act, but resisting it
Gauntlet = Run through severe challenges, severe ordeal, obstacle course
Guard dog = Aggressive defense
Gym rat = Someone who spends a lot of time playing a sport
Hedonist = Pleasure-seeker
Highwayman = A man who holds up travelers at gunpoint in order to rob them
Hologram = A 3-dimensional image, false identify
Holy grail = A thing that is being earnestly pursued or sought after
Hype = Extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion
Infidel = Person who disbelieves religion or adheres to religion other than one’s own
Innocent = A responsible or guilty yet suffering the consequences
Innuendo = Allusive or oblique remark or hint, disparaging
Instant replay = Replay of past event
Internal alarm = Intuition, sense of awareness
Internal clock = A person’s innate sense of time
Karma = Hinduism/Buddhism – destiny or fate, following as effect from cause
Labyrinth = A maze, a complicated irregular network of paths that is difficult to find
Laissez-faire = Government with minimal regulation, people do without interference
Lap dance = Erotic striptease for paying customer
L’appel du vide = The call of the void, compulsive urge to do something self-destructive
Laser-sharp = Locked in, razor
Laughing stock = Person subjected to general mockery or ridicule
Legend = A famous or notorious person
Lip sync = Move lips silently, fake, pretend
Losing streak = Uninterrupted string of contests lost
Lotto = False hope
Machismo = Strong or aggressive masculine pride
Mail order bride = Bride without the courting
Mantra = Statement or slogan repeated frequently
Maverick = An unorthodox or independent-minded person
Metanoia (N) = Journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life
Metronome = Device that produces regular, metrical beats
Middleman = A person who arranges business or political deals between other people
Mutant = Monster, deviant, bizarre
Mutineer = A person who rebels or refuses to obey the orders of the authority
Mystical = A sense of spiritual mystery
Nemophilist = A haunter of the woods, lover of forest, beauty and solitude
Neon – Bright and garish
Numbers game = Manipulate statistics in support of argument, illegal lottery
Olympic Gold = Best of the best
One-liners = A very short joke or funny remark
Organized chaos = Complex situation appears chaotic but with enough order to achieve goals
Ouija board = Spirit or talking board, answers to questions from people at séance
Outcast = Person rejected by social group
Oxymoron = Contradictory terms
Palindrome = Word, phrase, sequence same backward as forward
Paradigm = A typical example or pattern of something, a model
Paradox = An absurd or self-contradictory proposition
Pariah = An outcast
Poignant = Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret
Prisoner = Trapped or confined, in jail or by situation or circumstances
Psychic income = Nonmonetary satisfactions in payment of
Pilgrim = Person who journeys to a sacred place
Poison fruit = Legal metaphor for evidence obtained illegally
Prophet = An inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God
Protégé = Person who is guided and supported by influential person
Quid pro quo = A Favor or advantage expected in return for something
Raconteur = A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way
Random pattern = Oxymoron, random has no pattern
Ransom = Sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for release of prisoner
Rebel = A person in opposition or resistance against establishment
Redamancy (N) = Loving someone who loves you, a love returned in full
Refugee = Displaced person
Renegade = A person who deserts and betrays
Ricochet = Rebound
Riposte = A quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism
Saboteur = A person who engages in sabotage
Savoir faire = Ability to act appropriately in social situations
Scintilla (N) = A tiny brilliant flash or spark, a trace
Second chance = Try something again, after failing
Sehnsucht (N) = An intense yearning for something far-off and indefinable
Segue = Uninterrupted transition
Self-portrait = Portrait created by oneself
Shadow = Dark area or shape due to light, ominous oppressiveness
Shooting star = Meteor burning bright as it enters earth’s atmosphere
Silent whistle = Terms that seem innocuous, but convey hidden, controversial message
Sillage (N) = Scent that lingers in air, trail left in water, impression after someone been/gone
Sinister = Evil appearance, likely to cause something bad
Slippery slope = An idea or course of action that will lead to something wrong or disastrous
Sobriquet = Nickname
Solitaire = Alone
Solitude = The state of situation of being alone
Status quo = Existing state of affairs
Stereotype = Oversimplified image or idea
Straight jacket = Restrained physically
Subliminal = Below the threshold of sensation or consciousness
Tacenda (N) = Things better left unsaid, matters to be passed over in silence
Talisman = An object supposed to bring good luck
Tarot cards = Fortune telling
Therapeutic = Something that relates to the healing of disease
Touché = Acknowledgment of a hit by one’s opponent
Treppenwitz (N) = Things you should have said, a witty comeback thought of too late
True north = Moral compass
Unintended consequences = Outcomes not foreseen or intended by purposeful action
Vagrant = A person without a settled home or regular work, wanders and begs
Victim = Person harmed or injured as result of crime or accident
Vigilant = Careful watch for possible danger or difficulties
Void = Completely empty, not valid or binding
Volunteer = A person who freely offers to take part or undertake a task
Voyeur = A person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others
Wet work = Bloody
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Chest of Drawers: Phrases
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Adrenalin is a drug
Alone in a crowded bar
Answer unasked questions
Back of the bus
Believe own press
Better dead than dependent
Black jack justice
Born naked
Bottle blond
British reserve
Cause and effect
Cheap motel
Color me
Counting on the lotto
Crash and burn
Deep as death
Detroit rules
Emotional trauma, Dali Lama
Empty echoes
Everything is relative
Faceless, nameless
Face smiles, without the eyes
Fall out of love
False calm (violence beneath the surface)
Fatigue, in league, agreed
Felt electric
Fine dining at 7Eleven
Fingerprints and dental records
Fire and ice
Forgiveness, not permission
Game called life
God’s a bully
Grotesque, picturesque
Half smile
Hedge bets
Hold onto smoke
Hungry child
Hypnotic trance or daze
Idle threats
Immoral minister
It depends
Leader that no one will follow
Lies that compromise
Loser’s lament
Neurotic, erotic
Never enough
Never stop moving
No pain, no gain
No secrets from God
Not fearless, resigned
No there there
Outlived my usefulness
Poor breeding
Priest and prey, pray
Punch lines, clever rhymes
Random plan
Reading my palm
Sacred trust betrayed
Same old dance, why take a chance?
Scars on my soul
Sensitive as a serial killer
Shadows shifting
Shattered dreams
Sirens and flashing lights
Soul black as coal
Sun tired, a bloodshot red
Take advantage of myself
Testicular thinking, hard drinking
The devil we know
This is real, not movie blood
Tongue-tied orator
Tragic magic
Unpublished poet
Utter trust of a pet or a child
Virgin sex fiend
Weary worn
Wisdom of wine
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Chest of Drawers: Lines
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A good day is when nothing bad happens
Always trying to right some wrongs
Annulment, just pretend it didn’t happen
Any way you pay
A simple statement, short and true, let me be a friend to you
At the altar of human greed, want so much more than what we need
Bad hair day, tough day at the office
Behavior vs belief, doctrine vs deed
Be naked for me
Best ideas when drunk, but never remember
Better starter than finisher, now hard to even start
Bingo is a Catholic religious service
Born and die alone, no matter who else is there
Can’t stand dumb – can’t stand smart either
Coming or going, it doesn’t matter much
Crave recognition for what I’ve done, but attention unwelcome
Demons and dragons, the beast within
Don’t do me any favors
Don’t want to remember, can’t afford to forget
Double negative does not necessarily make a positive
Do what you have to do
Each time is the first time
Earlier I made the vow, but I really mean it now
Electric shocks, ideas like flashbulbs popping, never stopping
Embarrassed now, but at the time it seemed to work somehow
Enjoy the moment
Everybody needs somebody, but no one needs me?
Everyone is naked under their clothes
Everything is a game, and I play the game to win
Fall out of love
Fantasy trumps reality, no pun intended
Find what I’m not looking for
Gave up my sex life, with a few notable exceptions
Going through the motions, hiding my emotions
Guardian Angel is my shadow, invisible but always there
Had I lived I had tales to tell
Hard to prove innocence
Haven’t given up, just a long time-out
Have to do, want to do – Wait, too late, that’s fate
He’s lived life best who’s lost the least, he’s passed life’s test who’s tamed the beast
Hiding in a toilet stall
Home is where you are
Homicide, at greater scale is genocide
Hope hurts, can’t afford to care
Hundreds of stories, some of them true
Hypocritical of me to advise others
I am a trophy hunter, in everything I do
I am my only me, as you are you, we each need to be, endure
I believe in God; the price is too great if I’m wrong
Idea of sex is better than the real thing?
I don’t need you to tell me what I already know
I’d rather die than fail
If a pro, need more quo for my quid
If you don’t ask for more, you settle for less
If you don’t ask, you can’t get turned down, but you’ll never get anything either
I ignore the slights and hints, and run my marathon of daily sprints
I have a deal with God
I heard someone screaming, it was me
I heard words come out of my mouth, thought it must be someone else
I like my girls stirred, not shaken
I’ll figure it out, or I won’t
I look at you, you turn away, I have no say
I make, I don’t follow rules, or only the rules I choose
I’m very proud of what I’ve done, but not of how I did it
Indian summer, spring snow, easy come and easy go
In the end, my enemy’s enemy is my friend
I prefer murder over suicide
Is life totally random, just the luck of the draw?
Isn’t it strange, how much we change? Isn’t it strange, how little we change?
It is what it is, we are what we are
I thought that time would kill me, when only time would help
It’s easy to know what, but never why
It’s not about me
It was several long moments before I realized I was dead
I wanted girls, I wanted you, did you ever want me too? – Did you feel it too?
I was born naked
I would die for you, but would I live for you?
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone’s not trying to get you
Kids and pets and empty threats
Kids wouldn’t remember me if I died tomorrow
Kill what you eat, eat what you kill
Knew me then, know me now
Left out, not make team – No date – Sing out of key – Flunk test
Life has thrown a wicked curve, but it’s nothing that I don’t deserve
Life is a test, at which we all fail
Like a brilliant falling star, that burns so bright and falls so fast, leaving memories of its past
Listen but do not hear
Look but do not touch, touch but do not look
Loner, with 10,000 friends
Lose dignity, preserve pride? Lose pride, preserve dignity?
Lost the battle but won the war, won the battle but lost the war
Made a bit of money, had a way with words
Make new memories
Memories appear as uninvited guests, unwelcome intruders, taunting teasing, times long past
Might as well have been a priest, could have used the extra credit
Minor hero – town tough
Miss Vietnam, while at same time glad I didn’t go
Moment sooner, or later, would have changed it all
My body is wracked with constant pain, but I have no one else to blame
My dog committed suicide
My faux façade, a guide without a guest, explorer without a quest, a sinner not yet blessed
My mother died before I was born
Natural leader with no one to lead, natural warrior with no blood to bleed
Need a crisis to shine
Never doing what I should, only dreaming what I would
Never shared, never cared
No big deal, people die every day, but each a story
Nobody’s role model
No good deed goes unpunished
No matter how hard we strive, no one gets out of life alive
No matter what you choose, you lose
No matter where you go, there you are
No rules in war or love or marriage
Not afraid of death, but no hurry to leave this life
Not guilty doesn’t make you innocent
Nothing now, before, or after, can match the music of a child’s laughter
Not worthy of help, others so much worse off
Old age doesn’t last
Only so many hours, so many wasted on TV, sports, reading
On the diamond or the court, on any field of sport, I always played to win, other would be sin
Open window, open door
Or what good am I?
Out in the streets, looking for whatever I may find
Overcome your fear, with bravado and beer
Over, under, upside down, inside outside, all around
Pain is the price of admission
People who build things
Places and faces
Played your con, and now you’re gone, I was just a pawn
Play hurt
Read the Bible for awhile
Remembering people I’ve never met, remembering places I’ve never been
Running a tab, pay your bill
Running on empty, no gas in the tank
Same old stuff, calling my bluff
Shadow stalker
Shy extrovert, or outgoing introvert?
Silence lies between us
Silence, thick and palpable, crescendo, waves, deafening
Sins of commission (do bad) vs sins of omission (not do good)
Solutions to problems I don’t have
Stranger among friends
Strangers are friends at the bar, where they are, gone too far
Stripped naked and broke, just one of the common folk
Surrounded by many, alone in the crowd
The battle of sexes, is very well named, never a winner
The days are long but the years are short
The more I learn, the less I know, the more I plant, the less I sow
Things I said but didn’t mean
You are where you’ve been
You can’t finish what you don’t start
Your presence, melts my manhood, like a summer popsicle
Virginity is a curable disease
Walk in the rain, unopened umbrellas
War games
Waste of space
Wash away the stench, but not the evil
We have free will and the power to choose, which often becomes the power to lose
What goes around comes around, what comes around goes, everybody knows
What if I had a wake and nobody came?
What would you do, if I walked away, what would you say?
When coke was a drink, and columbine was a flower
When I was but a little boy
When you ask for nothing, you shouldn’t expect anything more
Where does crime end and punishment begin?
Where find God – children, nature, poetry and music
Why some no life at all?
With friends like you
Worth more, dead or alive?
Written in pencil, not in ink
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Chest of Drawers: Thoughts
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This is it, both heaven and hell. Live many lives (reincarnation or karma). What you come back as depends on who you were and what you did and didn’t do last time. Merit system?
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Perhaps it is better to be always seeking and striving for goals without ever reaching them? You would probably be disappointed at what you find (i.e. not worth the effort, not meet expectations). If reach goals, nothing to live for, life is done.
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The sensitive suffer. It is the human predicament that there are no answers or cures for life’s problems. So being aware and caring is a curse since you can do so little to help. It’s better to be ignorant or unfeeling.
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What have I done to deserve this? What have I done to cause this?
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A person who sees no reason to live is contemplating suicide. But he knows that his death will hurt his family and friends, and how they will be sorry and resentful. Then he realizes that he would actually be the final loser.
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One must be careful. Today’s friends may be tomorrow’s enemies, and today’s enemies may be tomorrow’s friends.
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The burden of proof works both ways. A person should be innocent until proven guilty. But sometimes a person is guilty until proven innocent. It is very hard to prove innocence. If someone says you did something, how can you prove that you did not?
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No one is expressly against you. Everyone is for himself.
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Argue with an atheist. He says there is no God and no life after death. I say, if you’re right, we both have nothing to worry about. If I’m right, you are in deep trouble.
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People are painfully conscious of their level of formal education. Those who have little will always stress common sense, even if they lack it.
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Most people have the answers to most of their own problems. All they need is a sounding board and as they talk the answers become clear. Be a good conversationalist by saying little.
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Everything is funny, even the really tragic and painful. Life is a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel.
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You can be very, very good, or very, very bad, take the average?
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Deaths - The political insider - 100 billion have died in human history 153 thousand people die every day.
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The bristlecone pine, vigilant for many, many years, watches, sleeps, then weeps. They discussed playing baseball and boxing and chasing girls, father and son, a generation apart, trying to outdo each other.
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They were teammates, tied for high point honors in the final game.
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They were like half-brothers who fight over their fathers.
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They were a group, only one couldn’t make it and the rest had gone anyway.
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They were lovers, only she had gotten drunk and he had made love to her.
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They walked along, hand in hand, the forgotten anniversary between them.
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They were in love, but he had gone out with another girl and she found out.
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They sat together, father and daughter, unable to resolve her pregnancy.
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They were a quiet Sunday afternoon disrupted by the football game on TV.
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He stood quietly, his every sense alert, like a man being hunted.
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