In Limbo

Our d’Verse prompt today is Limbo. I am trying the Lai poetic form again, and writing about the long awaited Royal Baby! Delivery any day. In the meantime, everyone waits in Limbo!

Royal baby soon
We might hear by noon
We’ll know
Megan screams pained tune
Harry brings balloons
Too slow
Might wait till June
Media buffoons
Limbo

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Photo: people.com

55words

Join us at:  https://dversepoets.com

The Lai poetic form has three couplets of five syllables; each followed by a two syllables line.

The five syllable lines must rhyme and the two syllable lines must rhyme as well.

Patio Picnic

One of my great memories is spending part of a week with my two cousins at a vacation house along Stone Mountain in Pennsylvania. We had a beautiful view of Big Valley, where I spent five summers working on their farm. We enjoyed catching up with what we had been doing and taking a walk to the local Amish  Bakery. A patio picnic with fresh corn on the cobb and baked chicken topped off the visit.

Summer picnic enjoyed

Great food good conversation

Sweetheart celebrates

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Gina, at d’Verse. reflects on picnics with her family over the years,  and asked us to write about a picnic we remember.

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No Greater Love…

Yesterday we heard of another shooting in a Jewish place of worship in San Diego, California. One of the women there stepped in front of the gunman and took the bullets protecting her rabbi who was helping children escape. It is so sad that we still have not learned to live in harmony with one another. When will we ever learn?

No Greater Love

Than to give one’s life
So that another might live

No greater cowardice than
Taking the life of
Men women and children
In their place of worship

Hate destroys the soul of society

Love overcomes standing up to hate
Often at great personal sacrifice
Love wins in the end…

Love is of God

Photo: USA News

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/her-final-good-deed-woman-hailed-as-hero-after-taking-bullets-to-protect-rabbi-during-synagogue-shooting/ar-BBWnlPuocid=spartandhp/

Homeplace

I found this old photo of my grandmother and her children. It was really worn and had some damage, but it still showed the personalities and character of each one. My father was the youngest and is on the far left in the picture. Sadly the oldest son was killed in a car wreck at the age of 21. A couple of years ago I did a painting of my father’s homeplace at the edge of Allensville, Pennsylvania, which you can see below. A number of improvements were made since the first photo was taken almost a hundred years ago.

Grandma Roth raising

four young children on their farm

A strong-willed woman

Providing for her family

Hardworking husband cared for

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

 

Grand Caverns

This week we traveled to Virginia to visit with my son and his family. While we were there we spent an afternoon going through the Grand Caverns located near Grottos, VA. The formations were very impressive. as we wondered underground from room to room. Our guide used a blue light to point out the special features as we went. It was a cool 56F underground. We were moving continually so we did not mind at all. These are some of the formations we saw there.

 

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Barber’s Chair

Big red barber’s chair
Many heads cut there
Look slick
Little boys’ father
Pays Barber the fare
Scissors click
Blond curls fall in pairs
Heads sheered// none to spare
Ends stick

Barber has a smile
Snipping ends awhile
Coins drop
Teens hair cut in style
One inch long for now
Flat top
Bald men come and smile
Stop to talk and rile
Tobacco plops

When cutting’s all done
Then comes all the fun
Broom sweeps
Door gets locked// kids run
Squeal in warm bright sun
Birds cheep
Barber chair gets spun
Clipper’s silence hum
Coins keep

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse Grace introduced us to a new poetic form called a Lai. It is an old French form of poetry that has a very set pattern of a, a b, a, a, b, a a, b. The a lines must rhyme and the b lines must also rhyme. The rhyme changes with each stanza.

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Blushing Dogwoods

We spent some time this week in Virginia with my son and family. Driving up through the mountains to the Shenandoah Valley is a beautiful ride. Their season is about three weeks behind North Carolina. The red bud trees and the pink and white dogwoods were all in bloom.  This one was across the street from my son’s house.

Pink dogwoods blushing

Spring sunshine in every bud

Spectacular show

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Rise

Red Maple seed floats merrily on wings;
hoping to find a place from which to rise.
Landing between the crack of a rock;
with little soil, and almost no chance of survival;
it puts down a root;
forever changing the future of that rock!

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Quadrille Monday, and Merril, at d’Verse, asked us to use some form of the word rise. I decided to put a little different Spring twist to it and came up with this Quadrille of exactly 44 words.

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A New Day…

Easter Lilies bloom

Announce a new day dawning

Love wins // Grace for all

*****

Bing Photo: gardensnips.wordpress.com

Frank Tassone  asked us to consider the lily in our Haikai Poem for Easter Sunday.  The lily has long been a symbol of Easter.  Its beauty is a symbol of purity and new life. Hopefully your day has been a rewarding and inspirational one.

Join us at: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/04/21/haikai-challenge-82-4-21-19-easter-lily-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

The Silent Voice of the Spirit

Easter brings a time of reflection on what the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus means to us who are part of the Christian faith. For me it reinforces the power of God’s love in my life. Some get bogged down in rules and rituals and debates over theological interpretations, but for me the gospel boils down to Love and Grace… God’s Love for me and Grace that goes beyond all my sins.  I wrote this poem earlier this year which sums up and focuses on the way all this plays out in my life.

The Silent Voice of the Spirit
In the recesses of the mind
Where reason and conscience lie
Right along side the knowledge of good and evil
There comes a sound // not in words
But a silent voice speaking to me
Not with scream nor shout

But with a still small (silent) voice
Heard above the noise of loud voices
Clamoring for my attention
Heard above the noise of city streets
Roaring trucks and honking taxies

Above social media smart phones
Spewing out trivial pursuits
The silent voice always there.

The other option…
Some call it mystical
Others hear nothing
But I hear the silent voice of God
Speaking into my soul…

The voice that says, “I love you my child.”
“No matter what you might do,
I love you!”
“Be all you can be!”

Photo: Dwight L. Roth