Widdershins: “in a left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction: counterclockwise.”

~Merriam Webster

I absolutely love this word, so I chose to write a poem about it. Sometimes, a word is all it takes to inspire a poem. It doesn’t matter if it is a good poem or not. Especially, if the word is widdershins. One would expect such a poem to somehow turn out wrong. So, in that spirit, please accept this amateur attempt.

Widdershins

By Bonnie Tulloch

Widdershins! Oh, Widdershins!

Where have I placed my head?

Somewhere in the midst of dreams,

Did it fall off my bed?

Widdershins! Oh, Widdershins!

How am I to think?

My thoughts are playing cricket,

My logic’s on the brink.

Widdershins! Oh, Widdershins!

Where did my mind go?

It’s thirty minutes past the time

That I ought to know.

Widdershins! Oh, Widdershins!

What is there left to say?

The clouds are in the kitchen,

My sense ran off to play.

Widdershins! Oh, Widdershins!

This is an awful mess.

The world is crazy and absurd,

So weird, I must confess:

That of all the words that I could wear,

Widdershins is my dress.

The next time you experience a widdershins day try making a poem out of it. You might not be able to turn back the clock, but it is fun smashing it every now and then with a good laugh. Sometimes, the wrong move creates the right moment, especially if it brings a smile to your face.