Lacunae

While studying the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca, I came across a word I didn't know.

Now, I'm a word person. I have 13 dictionaries on the shelf behind my writing desk. (Several of them are in foreign languages, but most are in English.) I have a Super Thesaurus, an International Thesaurus, and a Synonym Finder.

I don't use them all the time, but I like knowing that they are there. Sometimes I page through one of them, pause on a word, and read all the archaic definitions. When I'm searching for a word, I might jog through these books. Using the books is like having a coach. They make my mind work harder. By the time I am finished pacing through them, seeing the alternatives and throwing them all out, the right word has come to mind.

I'm a bit like Goldilocks in that regard. I think all writers are. We don't want the word that is too hot, or the word that is too cold, we want the one that is just right.

So when I find a word I don't know, I am thrilled. I like to taste its sound on my tongue, swirl it around, decide if it's fine wine or dark beer or dishwater.

Lacunae is the plural of lacuna, a word that signifies the gaps, or places where something is missing, in a manuscript or a line of argument. This isn't always a welcome thing, or a useful thing. It can be annoying. It can be infuriating. Nobody wants a book with the last chapter torn out.

But a bit of lacuna might be necessary in art, where we want to see with the inner eye.

Haiku nurtures the gaps, the open spaces. The reader is invited to interpret the poem in personal terms. The depth is in the gaps.

My name is Rae Hallstrom, and Ameriku is my art and my business and my brand.

Ameriku Ltd produces nature-oriented art prints, posters, greeting cards and other items, based on my original haiku and photography.

Ameriku® is the registered trademark of Ameriku Ltd. When you see the Ameriku trademark, you can be sure the work meets my high standards of quality.