Week in Seven Words #224 & 225

224

cleanse
Lungs embracing the air, holding tight to the freshness of the air beside the running water.

effused
All of the cards I come across are gushy about love and gratitude, and I wonder how many times people's feelings really match up with what they buy.

flicking
Throughout the dinner, I need to deflect nasty, passive-aggressive digs. In my mind, I pretend I'm flicking away each comment with a fork like bits of mashed potato.

hovering
They're more benevolent, because they can afford to be. Treating him well costs them nothing and gives them the pleasure of feeling above him, bestowing favors on him in angelic fashion while remaining unsullied by his human dirt.

hypocrisy
He hears many excuses and even encouragement for obnoxious behavior, so then he gets confused and frustrated when he's punished for it.

stump
His job is to sit hunched at a table and occasionally be pleasant.

surgical
Renovations on the hallway look surgical. Pipes like veins and capillaries, wires like exposed nerves.