diff --git a/decode.rkt b/decode.rkt
index cd7426b..29fd43f 100644
--- a/decode.rkt
+++ b/decode.rkt
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 #lang racket/base
-(require racket/contract)
-(require racket/list)
-(require racket/string)
+(require racket/contract racket/list racket/string racket/match)
 (require (only-in racket/format ~a))
 (require (only-in racket/bool nor))
 (require (only-in xml xexpr/c))
@@ -52,7 +50,7 @@
   ;; todo: make sure this is what I want.
   ;; this is, however, more consistent with browser behavior
   ;; (browsers assume that tags are inline by default)
-  (->boolean (in block-tags (named-xexpr-name nx))))
+  (->boolean ((named-xexpr-name nx) . in . block-tags)))
 
 (module+ test
   (check-true (block-xexpr? '(p "foo")))
@@ -61,7 +59,9 @@
   (check-false (block-xexpr? '(barfoo "foo"))))
 
 
-(define (stringify x) ; convert numbers to strings
+;; convert numbers to strings
+;; maybe this isn't necessary
+(define (stringify x)
   (map-tree (λ(i) (if (number? i) (->string i) i)) x))
 
 (module+ test
@@ -94,18 +94,91 @@
   (check-true (whitespace? (list "\n" " " "\n" (list "\n" "\n")))))
 
 
-;; default content decoder for pollen
-(define/contract (decode nx)
+#|
+
+(define (make-meta-hash x)
+  (define keys (se-path*/list '(meta #:name) x))
+  (define values (se-path*/list '(meta #:content) x))
+  (define meta-hash (make-hash))
+  ;todo: convert this to for/list because map does not guarantee ordering
+  ; probably want to keep it in sequence
+  (map (ƒ(key value) (change meta-hash (as-symbol key) (as-string value))) keys values)
+  meta-hash)
+
+|#
+
+
+;; decoder wireframe
+(define/contract (decode nx
+                         #:exclude-xexpr-names [excluded-xexpr-names '()]
+                         #:xexpr-name-proc [xexpr-name-proc (λ(x)x)]
+                         #:xexpr-attr-proc [xexpr-attr-proc (λ(x)x)]
+                         #:xexpr-content-proc [xexpr-content-proc #f] ; set this to &decode later
+                         #:block-xexpr-proc [block-xexpr-proc (λ(x)x)]
+                         #:inline-xexpr-proc [inline-xexpr-proc (λ(x)x)]
+                         #:string-proc [string-proc (λ(x)x)]
+                         #:meta-proc [meta-proc (λ(x)x)])
   ;; use xexpr/c for contract because it gives better error messages
-  (xexpr/c . -> . named-xexpr?)
+  ((xexpr/c) (#:exclude-xexpr-names (λ(i) (or (symbol? i) (list? i)))
+                                    #:xexpr-name-proc procedure?
+                                    #:xexpr-attr-proc procedure?
+                                    #:xexpr-content-proc procedure?
+                                    #:block-xexpr-proc procedure?
+                                    #:inline-xexpr-proc procedure?
+                                    #:string-proc procedure?
+                                    #:meta-proc procedure?)
+             . ->* . named-xexpr?)
+  (when (not (named-xexpr? nx))
+    (error (format "decode: ~v not a full named-xexpr" nx)))
+  
+  (define metas (list))
+  (define/contract (is-meta? x)
+    (any/c . -> . (λ(i) (or (boolean? i) (list? i))))
+    (match x
+      [`(meta ,(? string? key) ,(? string? value)) (list key value)]
+      [else #f]))
   
-  ;; weds aug 7: start here
   (define (&decode x)
-    x)
+    (cond
+      [(named-xexpr? x) (let-values([(name attr content) (break-named-xexpr x)]) 
+                          (if (name . in . (->list excluded-xexpr-names))    
+                              x
+                              (let ([decoded-xexpr 
+                                     (apply make-named-xexpr (map &decode (list name attr content)))])
+                                (if (block-xexpr? decoded-xexpr)
+                                    (block-xexpr-proc decoded-xexpr)
+                                    (inline-xexpr-proc decoded-xexpr)))))]
+      [(xexpr-name? x) (xexpr-name-proc x)]
+      [(xexpr-attr? x) (xexpr-attr-proc x)]
+      [(xexpr-content? x) (let ([xexpr-content-proc (or xexpr-content-proc (λ(x) (map &decode x)))])
+                            (xexpr-content-proc x))]
+      [(string? x) (string-proc x)]
+      [else x]))
   
-  (&decode nx))
-
-;(decode `(p ((key "value")) ,decode))
+  ;; function to strip metas
+  ;; todo: would this be simpler using se-path*/list?
+  (define (split-metas nx)
+    (define meta-list '())
+    (define (&split-metas x)
+      (cond
+        [(and (named-xexpr? x) (equal? 'meta (car x)))
+         (begin
+           (set! meta-list (cons x meta-list))
+           empty)]
+        [(named-xexpr? x) ; handle named-xexpr
+         (let-values([(name attr body) (break-named-xexpr x)]) 
+           (make-named-xexpr name attr (&split-metas body)))]
+        [(list? x) (filter-not empty? (map &split-metas x))]
+        [else x]))
+    (values (&split-metas nx) (reverse meta-list))) 
+  
+  ;; put metas back on the end
+  (define (append-metas nx metas)
+    (named-xexpr? . -> . named-xexpr?)
+    (append nx (map meta-proc metas)))
+  
+  (let-values ([(nx metas) (split-metas nx)])
+    (append-metas (&decode nx) metas)))
 
 #|
 ;; default content decoder for pollen
diff --git a/readability.rkt b/readability.rkt
index 1305172..c53d6d8 100644
--- a/readability.rkt
+++ b/readability.rkt
@@ -150,32 +150,34 @@
   (check-equal? (get (make-hash '((a . 1) (b . 2) (c  . 3))) 'a) 1))
 
 ;; general way of testing for membership (à la Python 'in')
-(define/contract (in container item)
+;; put item as first arg so function can use infix notation
+;; (item . in . container)
+(define/contract (in item container)
   (any/c any/c . -> . any/c)
   (cond
     [(list? container) (member item container)] ; returns #f or sublist beginning with item
     [(vector? container) (vector-member item container)] ; returns #f or zero-based item index
     [(hash? container) 
      (and (hash-has-key? container item) (get container item))] ; returns #f or hash value
-    [(string? container) (let ([result (in (map ->string (string->list container)) (->string item))])
+    [(string? container) (let ([result ((->string item) . in . (map ->string (string->list container)))])
                            (if result
                                (string-join result "")
                                #f))] ; returns #f or substring beginning with item
-    [(symbol? container) (let ([result (in (->string container) (->string item))])
+    [(symbol? container) (let ([result ((->string item) . in . (->string container))])
                            (if result
                                (->symbol result)
                                result))] ; returns #f or subsymbol (?!) beginning with item
     [else #f]))
 
 (module+ test
-  (check-equal? (in '(1 2 3) 2) '(2 3))
-  (check-false (in '(1 2 3) 4))
-  (check-equal? (in (list->vector '(1 2 3)) 2) 1)
-  (check-false (in (list->vector '(1 2 3)) 4))
-  (check-equal? (in (make-hash '((a . 1) (b . 2) (c  . 3))) 'a) 1)
-  (check-false (in (make-hash '((a . 1) (b . 2) (c  . 3))) 'x))
-  (check-equal? (in "foobar" "o") "oobar")
-  (check-false (in "foobar" "z"))
-  (check-equal? (in 'foobar 'o) 'oobar)
-  (check-false (in 'foobar 'z))
-  (check-false (in #\F "F")))
\ No newline at end of file
+  (check-equal? (2 . in . '(1 2 3)) '(2 3))
+  (check-false (4 . in . '(1 2 3)))
+  (check-equal? (2 . in . (list->vector '(1 2 3))) 1)
+  (check-false (4 . in . (list->vector '(1 2 3))))
+  (check-equal? ('a . in . (make-hash '((a . 1) (b . 2) (c  . 3)))) 1)
+  (check-false ('x . in . (make-hash '((a . 1) (b . 2) (c  . 3)))))
+  (check-equal? ("o" . in . "foobar") "oobar")
+  (check-false ("z" . in . "foobar"))
+  (check-equal? ('o . in . 'foobar) 'oobar)
+  (check-false ('z . in . 'foobar))
+  (check-false ("F" . in . #\F)))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/pollen-lang-test.p b/tests/pollen-lang-test.p
index d3563ed..ccaf70e 100644
--- a/tests/pollen-lang-test.p
+++ b/tests/pollen-lang-test.p
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 Hello world
    
+◊em{Love}
+
 Goodnight moon
 
 ◊foo
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/requires/include-me.rkt b/tests/requires/include-me.rkt
index 12551e4..7be7189 100644
--- a/tests/requires/include-me.rkt
+++ b/tests/requires/include-me.rkt
@@ -1,13 +1,32 @@
 #lang racket/base
-(require racket/contract)
+(require racket/contract racket/list)
 (require (planet mb/pollen/tools) (planet mb/pollen/decode))
 
 (provide (all-defined-out))
 
 (module+ test (require rackunit))
 
+(define (meta-proc meta)
+  `(meta ((name ,(->string (second meta)))(content ,(->string (third meta))))))
+
+(define (string-proc string)
+  "puppies")
+
+(define (xexpr-content-proc content)
+  (map (λ(i) "boing") content))
+
 (define (root . items)
   (named-xexpr? . -> . named-xexpr?)
-  (decode `(root ,@items)))
+  (decode (cons 'root items)
+          #:exclude-xexpr-names 'em
+;          #:xexpr-name-proc [xexpr-name-proc (λ(x)x)]
+;          #:xexpr-attr-proc [xexpr-attr-proc (λ(x)x)]
+ ;         #:xexpr-content-proc xexpr-content-proc
+;          #:block-xexpr-proc [block-xexpr-proc (λ(x)x)]
+;          #:inline-xexpr-proc [inline-xexpr-proc (λ(x)x)]
+ ;         #:string-proc string-proc
+ ;         #:meta-proc meta-proc
+          ))
+
 
 (define foo "bar")
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools.rkt b/tools.rkt
index 45e4aa1..012c41b 100644
--- a/tools.rkt
+++ b/tools.rkt
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@
   (check-not-equal? (remove-all-ext foo.bar.txt-path) foo.bar-path) ; removes more than one ext
   (check-equal? (remove-all-ext foo.bar.txt-path) foo-path))
 
+;; is it an xexpr name?
+(define/contract (xexpr-name? x)
+  (any/c . -> . boolean?)
+  (symbol? x)) 
 
 ;; is it an xexpr attributes?
 (define/contract (xexpr-attr? x)
@@ -219,6 +223,6 @@
 
 (module+ test
   (check-equal? (map-tree (λ(i) (if (number? i) (* 2 i) i)) '(p 1 2 3 (em 4 5))) '(p 2 4 6 (em 8 10)))
-    (check-equal? (map-tree (λ(i) (if (symbol? i) 'foo i)) '(p 1 2 3 (em 4 5))) '(foo 1 2 3 (foo 4 5))))
+  (check-equal? (map-tree (λ(i) (if (symbol? i) 'foo i)) '(p 1 2 3 (em 4 5))) '(foo 1 2 3 (foo 4 5))))