On the Pulse of Morning Maya Angelou  A Rock, A River, A Tree Hosts to species long since departed, Marked the mastodon, The dinosaur, who left dried tokens Of their sojourn here On our planet floor, Any broad alarm of their hastening doom Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages. But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully, Come, you may stand upon my Back and face your distant destiny, But seek no haven in my shadow. I will give you no hiding place down here. You, created only a little lower than The angels, have crouched [...]

provender (PRŎV-ən-dər) Definition (Noun) Food, provisions; (in early use especially) dry food, as hay, oats, etc., for horses or cattle; fodder, forage. In Context "The troops supplemented their provender by hunting, fishing, and gardening." James S. Robbins, The Real Custer: From Boy General to Tragic Hero, 2014.

convivial (kən-VĬV-ē-əl) Definition (Adjective) Of or belonging to a feast or banquet; characterized by feasting or jovial companionship; such as befits a feast, festive. In Context "Voltaire was particularly attracted by the fact that the Fontaine-Martel house was a convivial establishment, in which she would often invite her lodgers to eat and drink together, at suppers which were apparently long and gay." Ian Davidson, Voltaire: A Life, 2010.

lickspittle (LĬK-spĭt-l) Definition (Noun) An abject parasite or sycophant; a toady. In Context "Journalists and members of the Left liked to accuse Hawke of being a lickspittle of the United States but, as Costello – who was no Hawke fan at the time and who observed the relationship closely – remarked, 'I never saw him as such.'" Blanche d'Alpuget, Hawke: The Prime Minister, 2010.

otiose (Ō-shē-ōs) Definition (Adjective) Having no practical function; redundant; superfluous. In Context "Given that trial, conviction, and execution were practically foregone conclusions, it may seem otiose to try to establish the grounds on which Darcy and the others were convicted." R. W. Hoyle, The Pilgrimage of Grace and the Politics of the 1530s, 2001.