Hump Day

Eloquent god Woden lent his name
to the center of five working days

which seems so ungodly, really, like
loaning shiny pearls to dull dromedaries
unhappy in their slow midweek slag.

One camel cow called Wednesday,
the borrowed pearls heavy on her neck
corrals her newborn twin calves close.

Both are middle children, in a sense,
leggy, lanky, humped, and full of woe.


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April 28—Hump Day

Wednesday is named for the god Woden, who is paralleled with the Roman god Mercury, probably because both gods shared attributes of eloquence, the ability to travel, and the guardianship of the dead.

"Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay."

~ Anna Eliza Bray