yellow confetti
jettisoned by green-barked trees
e petaloso

The moment I heard it my heart opened wide as inwardly I traveled to Italy. There I met Matteo, an eight-year-old schoolboy, who had penned the non-word “petaloso” in his work.

“How clever you are! I love words too. Thank you for creating this one. Did you know Italian is my favorite language? E la piu bella lengua nel mundo.”

Petaloso is a combination of the Italian petalo for petal and the suffix –oso or “full of” creating a word for “full of petals.” How lovely and creative and perfectly spring.

In the world of Twitter and Facebook this is so last month. Even though it was trending early this month – but still, with the weeks flying by and loads of things to capture and snag one’s attention, petaloso flashed and passed, replaced by something else again and again.

In the darkness of predawn I woke thinking about Thursday, haiku and the what-will-it-be that happens when I don’t have something bubbling on the back burner. The giant, green-barked palo verde tree at work came to mind. Under it a yellow drift of discarded blossoms. Cherished by the tree, courted by the wind, admired by me.

A small nudge to grab the pocket-sized journal I keep in my purse came to me. My mind wanted to just write the “yellow confetti” in my regular journal, but something else urged me again to grab the tiny booklet. I opened it to the first blank page, and there next to it was:

petaloso
e molto bene!

I was instantly reminded of Matteo’s story, which I’d heard on NPR during my drive to work early this month. It was just what I needed to complete today’s haiku. I hope wherever you are your spring is molto petaloso.