Blogs

By Leslie Miklosy

I enjoy whimsy in wordplay. I like its humor, freedom, creativity and flexibility. Other words for whimsy are playfulness and fancifulness. Related terms for whimsical are offbeat, quirky, off-the-wall, unconventional. 

Whimsy gives permission to, invites and replenishes those who engage in it. Think of it as recess in school, coffee break at work, intermission between life’s multiple acts. 

The following are some examples from my recent book of original quotations, Out of My Mind: Quotations that Delight, Dazzle, and Confound.  (One caveat: Do not operate heavy machinery immediately after reading these.) 

Dance with me 
So I can show you the way
To get gloriously lost in the forest. 

*** 

The spark of a near-miss
And the spark of a near-hit
Were once wed
And lived happily ever after. 

*** 

When you’re in the air flying,
Questions of baggage
Are no longer relevant. 

*** 

Toppling the teacher
Is an extracurricular activity. 

*** 

Don’t look through the alphabet
For a drink of water. 

*** 

Self-Effacers Anonymous 

*** 

Without scarcity or lack,
We have nothing. 

*** 

The object of this puzzle is for the pieces NOT to fit. 

*** 

A thoughtless impulse
While out for a walk,
Met a deliberate effort
Through no fault of its own,
Or so the accident report
Stated. 

*** 

Three hops and a skip
Took me way past my bedtime. 

*** 

He’s become quite good at going out
And walking his doggone it! 

*** 

Have you greeted your enemy today? 

*** 

If your Mother Earth
Is round,
And spins,
And has much gravity,
Are not those qualities
To be found also
Somewhere in you? 

If life seems a burden, maybe what you need is a daily dose of whimsy. It can lighten your journey…and put a smile on your face!

— Leslie Miklosy

Leslie Miklosy has worked in hospitality, mental health, philanthropy, government and education. He loves to play with words and ideas.He is an aphorist, essayist and occasional interviewer, joke writer and poet. He has written five books.