Amoeba

Amoeba is most definitely my favorite word. I learned it when I was in elementary school, before I knew what it meant, and I thought it was a lovely word. I later decided that there was nothing beautiful about amoebas themselves, but I didn’t let that ruin my enjoyment of the word.

Aside from sounding wonderful, I like the word because saying amoeba at random is a good way to throw my friends. I’ll be talking about the latest bestsellers, and I’ll pause to gather my thoughts. And then, out of nowhere. I very carefully pronounce “Amoeba”, just for the joy of saying the words. My friends will stare at me, wondering if they really heard me say amoeba out of nowhere or they were just hallucinating, as I finish thinking and start talking again.

Ah, the strange and absurd pleasures of life.

Alexi Maxwell