Words of Wonder

Dream Words

Crepuscular (adj)

(kri-puhs-kyuh-ler)

Crepuscular rays are those streaks of sun that filter through evening clouds. Crepuscular animals are active at twilight—neither nocturnal nor diurnal. Bats, foxes, housecats, barn owls, nighthawks: a poet’s favorite creatures, basically.

See also: vespertine.

Oneiric (adj)

(oh-nahy-rik)

Flying, falling, going to a party naked, trying desperately to find a high school class where you’re late for the test and completely forgot to study—oh, and you haven’t set foot in a classroom for twenty years.

Oneiric experiences make you glad that real life isn’t quite so inexplicable, random, and unfathomably odd.

Right?

Acedia (n)

(uh-see-dee-uh)

Monks called it “the noonday demon.” It often creeps in around 1 PM. The buzz of morning coffee is past. Lunch was a pleasant break, but it’s time to get back to work. It’s just…You don’t feel like it.

The cure for acedia? A quick nap.

If only you can work up the energy to lie down…

Dromomania (n)

(droh-moh-mey-nee-uh)

An archaic psychiatric diagnosis where the patient can’t stop wandering, this condition frequently afflicted philosophers.

Thinking while walking can be helpful. But thinking too much while walking too much? This specific kind of mania leads to worn shoes, callused feet, and impenetrable books of philosophy.

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Speaking of thinking…

My new book will be published next month by Abrams ComicArts!

You can pre-order it from your favorite local bookstore or wherever books are sold.

It looks great as part of the complete Incidental Comics collection:

Here’s a bonus comic from the book, on the topic of dromomania: