It’s Poetry Friday and I’ve missed you. Thank you for welcoming me to this space sporadically, as my heart allows. Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference is our host today. Thank you, Tabatha, for your big heart!
Expansion — This is my one word for 2026.
As seemed fitting to my year, I trusted Morgan Harper Nichols to choose the word for me. She invited us to watch her very quick video and take a screenshot to find a word. Expansion was my first stop. (Click on the images below to see it in action.)
I do want to expand in all these ways: my horizons, my love, my capacity for widening my humanity, my sense and sensibilities, my growth as a human, my awareness of my own weaknesses. I want all that for myself, but also for our country and Christ’s church, as well. So I humbly choose EXPANSION for 2026.
On Monday, I hosted at Ethical ELA’s Open Write, and with the help of a post from Molly Hogan, my prompt was to use collective nouns in a poem. I wrote this one inspired by my one word for 2026.
Hopes for an Expansive New Year
A crop of capacities
A rejection of aspersions
A rein of realizations
An exposing of perversions
A justice of promises
A referendum of reversions
A gentle churning of convictions
A probity of conversions
Visit Morgan’s word wishes here:
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Denise, it’s always good to see you here. Yay for “expansion” and how you found it…and thank you for expanding the list of collective nouns in my brain!
I love the rhymes in your poem, Denise! Such rich, unusual words. Congrats on “expansion”! Sounds ripe for growth. xo
So many words waiting to be found and made part of my world! Thank you for the video! “expansion” can’t help but take you to new places.
Hi Denise, nice to see you back, and sharing the ‘how’ of finding your own OLW, then writing the details of how you wish it to go, accepting the positive and rejecting the negative! I love the capacity of the word!
Expansion is a great word! I love the collective nouns you created. I recently learned that a group of fireflies can be called a flicker – so appropriate, I think.
Denise, I am so glad to see a post from you and have you visit mine, as well! What fun is expansion? I wish you well in exploring it through all the avenues you mentioned this year! I tried the word generator, and it landed on “release” for me, although I already chose a word for 2026 (reduce). I do like release, too! Can you send me an email at labcar81@gmail.com? I’d like to send you that photo of me by St. Giles in Edinburgh with the bag you sent me! Thanks.
Expansion is a GREAT word for the year.
Expansion is a beautiful word for this year, Denise. Your wishes for the ways in which you hope to expand are, in themselves, a poem. ❤️
A probity of conversions! I am all in! Thanks for sharing the word meme, too, Denise. I love ‘expansion.’ Feels like a long, slow, inhale — a pause for patience and thoughfulness. Thank you!
What a fun little exercise! I got Nurture- about taking time to do things that heal your heart and help you grow. Whta a perfect second word for me. Thank you! I wonder what COLOR and NURTURING will bring?
Denise, “expansion” is a great word for the year. I like the idea of using collective nouns in a poem, too. I’d really like a new “crop of capacities,” which will take some practice!
Expansion is such a great word for your year. I have been waffling about my word, so I decided to try out the link you shared. I got “Attentiveness”. It’s definitely one worth considering and interestingly, echoes the title I just chose for my upcoming photography show– “Look.” Your post is such a celebration of words and the cherry on top is your wonderful collective noun poem. You’ve inspired me to try to write another one! (Sorry I didn’t make it to the Ethical ELA prompt. I had every intention of it, but life intervened.)
Welcome back! I’ve missed you, but I understand that life pulls each of us in many directions.
Best wishes for a year of expansions!
PS — I tried the word-chooser and I got zeal. LOVE it! It will work nicely with my intention to walk outside more!
Denise, I’m late to commenting but glad you are here and with an excellent word choice. Your list of collective nouns is one to contemplate.
Dear Denise, I LOVE your word “expansion” as it is so open and free!!! I also love your powerful collective noun poem, especially that gorgeous image: “rein of realizations.”