Reflection

Aging rusts the soul
Life scattered like lights and doors
Falling leaves hide rust

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Autumn Contemplation shows

Nature reclaims everything

Photo: Marc Andrew

Frank Tassone asked us to consider Autumn Contemplation, as we come to the end of this long hot summer. There are many ways autumn makes us stop and think about life. Nature, aging, and the combination of both remind me I am not invincible. When I was young, aging seemed far off, but now I am in the autumn of my life and realize in time I too will be like the car in the photo above. When gone, I will be remembered in bits and pieces, but soon, those too will fall by the wayside and the leaves of time will cover all. I decided to use this great photo again and write from a little different perspective.  I am using it with permission from my nephew, Marc Andrew.

Join us at:  https://frankjtassone.com/2019/08/31/haikai-challenge-102-8-31-19-autumn-contemplation-shuushi-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

Check out my previous post for another perspective!

 

 

Pieces of Life

Age does disturbing things to some minds. Alzheimer’s disease leaves many feeling like their memories are only scattered pieces. Life no longer makes sense, as short-term memory disappears. Stress levels increase and shut down. Confinement can become necessary to protect the person from wandering off or putting themselves in harm’s way. Some still remember the distant past and days of childhood. Happy and traumatic events from the past get repeated over and over again. Questions to visitors are repeated over and over again as well. It is very sad to see a person deteriorate in this way.

Aging rusts the soul
Life scattered like lights and doors
Falling leaves hide rust
*

Photo: Marc Andrew

Our Narrow Perspective

Blinders…
Amish buggy clopping down the road
Horse looking straight ahead pulling her load
Not seeing side to side // distractions might scare
Blinders shading each eye // make her unaware.
On down the road and into the barn
Knows her place // she always goes home

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Just like us clopping down the road
Choosing our blinders pulling our load;
Refusing to see what’s all around us.
Distractions might scare us // the news might blind us
Tell us we might be wrong // or twist our thinking
With all our choices, it could drive us to drinking

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As long as we can see straight ahead
We stay on course knowing we’re lead…
Down the road of our personal choosing;
We forge ahead even though we’re losing.
Unlike the horse, who must wear her blinders
We choose to ignore reality’s reminders

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

With the new election year coming up, I thought this little rerun jab might wake us up!

Gumballs

Before I moved to North Carolina, I thought gumballs were those giant bubblegum balls you could get from a machine at the entrance of a store.  You put your nickel/quarter in the slot, turn the handle, and the ball would drop and roll into the cup below.  Then, I moved into a house with five giant sweetgum trees. They are a Southern specialty, very prolific in their production of spiky gumballs. The balls produce seeds that open and drop out or get eaten by birds in the Fall. The hard shells, covered in sharp spikes, keep falling all winter long. Just when you think you have raked the last of them, the wind come through and down comes another layer! As you can tell, I like the sweet bubblegum balls much better!

Sweet gumballs // all sugar

Not found on a Sweetgum Tree

Fall gumballs dropping

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Hard prickly seedless shells

Hundreds cover my backyard

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

The Warm Spot

Tiger, our cat, sometimes a sneaky little brat
Not allowed on our bed // he had to scat
Thought he was slick pulling all his tricks
As he paced, and scowled, and pitched his fits.
Slick guy thought he’d pull the fuzz
Thinking we wouldn’t know what he does
When we left him there all alone.
*
Up on the bed he jumped
Purring on his high spot on the hump.
When the key turned in the front door lock
Off the bed he thumped and took his spot…
Giving us that sly little happy meow
Thinking he pulled a fast one on us now.
But we were one step ahead of that sneaky cat;
For at the foot of the bed where Tiger sat,
Was a tale-tale warm spot //imagine that!

 

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse, our prompt is everything Feline! We had Tiger for fifteen years. He was very special in spite of his quirky antics. We loved him very much and were very sad when he died. This poem is a blend of ornery and cute. Great memories for sure.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Mare Tranquillitatis

Sea of Tranquility //moon destination
Ranger crashed //Surveyor landed
Making way for an eagle’s landing
During my years of innocence back in1969.
Neil Armstrong left his mark
in that tranquil surface dust;
Realtor is now selling
acreages on the moon!
Celebs are buying!!
Duh!!

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Lillian at d’Verse asked us to write a Quadrille of exactly 44 words using the word Tranquility. I had to think of the area of the moon that NASA chose for its Lunar landing.  According to Wikapedia, they crashed Ranger in the surface while sending photos back for them to study. Later Surveyor made a soft landing, sending back over 19,000 photos. When the first Astronauts landed on the moon, it was in the sea of tranquility. It got its name from the Latin: Mare Tranquillitatis

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Fun at the Beach

When our boys were young, we enjoyed many summers at the beach. One essential that came along with us was the blue shovel. We had a great time digging holes for sandcastles, and creating sea creatures, such as sharks and turtles. It is amazing what you can make with just a shovel. We even buried the youngest son up to his neck in sand!  Then we floated on bubbles of air, riding on the incoming waves. So many good times brought back by saved photos.

Memories of the beach

Summer fun in sand and water

Shovel creates art

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Droplets on the Web

Finally, we have some relief from the heat! A cold front pushed through bringing heavy rains overnight. Our resident spider had a gorgeous web spun in my holly bush. In spite of the heavy rain it was strong enough to hold up, undamaged by the storm. The water droplets remained on the beautiful web all day today. No lunch for the spider today!

Spider’s web remains

Basket of diamonds glisten

Autumn rain welcomed

iPhone photos: Dwight L. Roth

Frank Tassone’s Haikai prompt for today is Autumn Rain! Just in time for the photos and poem above!

Join us at: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/08/24/haikai-challenge-101-8-24-19-autumn-rain-aki-no-ame-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

Pipes

High aloft, in the Strasbourg Cathedral in France, the organ pipes glow in the dimly lit sanctuary. They are decorated in gold with the touch of a master craftsman. As beautiful as they look up there on the wall, no sounds will be heard until someone below sits down at the organ and begins sending streams of air through them. Sometimes we are the organ and at other times we are simply the beautiful pipes!

Ornate set of pipes
Hang silently on the wall
Need breath to be heard

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Three Seconds

Life can change in a matter of only three seconds. A year ago, my wife was in an automobile accident that was no fault of her own. The driver in front of her decided to make a sudden left turn right in front of the mail van. The van hit his car spinning him around and smashing into her in the right front fender. Thankfully, she was not injured, but the suddenness of it all made us realize how fast things can happen that can change our lives.

In just three seconds
Our life can change forever
One, two, three// blink// CRUNCH!

Photos; Dwight L. Roth

Posted on the d’Verse Poets Pub web site for open link night!

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com