X - X

-

X

X for kisses.
O for hugs.
Shouldn’t it be flipped?
We cross our arms to hug another.
An O our mouths when lipped.


 ©2019 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved

Comments

  1. John HoltonApril 27, 2019 at 11:36 AM

    Good point!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaApril 27, 2019 at 4:07 PM

      Thanks! Actually, the origin makes sense. It has to do with kissing the cross, as well as the symbol X for a signature, then kissed.

      Delete
  2. J Lenni DornerApril 27, 2019 at 11:50 PM

    Very nice poem. And yes, the X was for Christians and the O was for Jews. Not only is that where we got hugs and kisses, it's also where we got tic-tac-toe. The "mark" of your religion was also for signatures because literacy was illegal for a long time in many places, so people couldn't write their name.

    J Lenni Dorner~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaApril 28, 2019 at 9:41 AM

      I'd heard that history of O is apocryphal, but it could be. Of course, the X or cross was used centuries before the time of Christ, they "borrowed" it!
      I find the history of words, holidays, and traditions fascinating! Thanks for sharing.

      Delete
  3. A Tarkabarka HölgyApril 28, 2019 at 4:01 AM

    Totally makes sense! I have always wondered about this.

    The Multicolored Diary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaApril 28, 2019 at 9:41 AM

      It does make sense. Lots of things do once you find out the origins. As you probably know, what with so many stories having at least a kernel of history in them!

      Delete
  4. Deborah WeberApril 28, 2019 at 11:23 AM

    I think you've called this one correctly! And made me smile to boot.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

to be not a barnacle

-
Image
walking away down the dock I notice the barnacles clinging to the piles at low tide https://pxhere.com/en/photo/917607                 that’s their life clinging sending out little flowery legs to eat what floats by   never moving dependent on the tide the whims of storm and baking sun   I won't be a barnacle stuck on a dock accepting your lot as my life so I’m walking away   ©2020 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved Walking Away – Weekly Scribblings #40  https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/        
Read more

The Iris: A Quadrille

-
Image
Bloom is the prompt word for today's dVerse quadrille.  Write a quadrille (a poem of EXACTLY 44 words, not including the title) AND include the word “bloom” or a form of the word within the body of the poem. A synonym for bloom does not fulfill the prompt. It must be the word “bloom”, or a form of the word, for example “bloomed, or blooming or bloomin’”. The bearded iris started blooming last week. Purples first, then the orange. “Mango Passion” it’s called. Fancy! My purples were free off a curb. They are the nameless mutts of the garden. Beautiful none the less, like the proverbial rose by any other name. ©2026 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved   Mango Passion
Read more

Writers' Pantry #67 and NaPoWriMo #18

-
 NaPoWriMo Day #18 Again, my Sunday post for Poets and Storytellers United is from one of the NaPoWriMo prompts.  Writers' Pantry #67  The prompt for Day 18 was: "Write a poem based on the title of one of the chapters from Susan G. Wooldridge’s Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words." I couldn't pick just one, so I didn't!  The numbers are the chapters in the book, and are followed by the chapter titles. 🌥     🌥     🌥     🌥     🌥     🌥     🌥 39   Who Were You in My Dream?  Who Were You?   I dreamed there was a party, but I couldn’t find you anywhere. I knew you were there, for I wouldn’t have dreamed alone. Strangers grabbed at me, ripping me from the crowd.  I was panicking, thrashing my arms, kicking my legs. I woke covered with sweat, tangled in my duvet. Who were you in my dream? ...
Read more