November wave’s fingers
send chills down a sandy beach
Ocean lullabies
strummed over and over
Lulling all of us to sleep
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Month: November 2019
My Kind of Girl
My wild woman in pearls // kaleidoscope of beauty
What are you thinking in that hollow mind
What did you say?
Oh, you are more than the sum of your colors.
Tell me what you want of me;
I gave you the pearls to make you stand out.
Your cranial donuts make me hungry…
And, what’s going on with your earring?
Oh, your ear is invisible!
Your blue eyes radiate emptiness.
Yes. I know // I created you!
Your enigmatic smile
Your rounded nose
That cute flip of the hair
Wild woman you are my kind of girl!
Painting “Wild Woman In Pearls” – Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse Linda asked us to consider surrealism and poetry. We are to write a surreal poem. This crazy painting I did a few years ago seemed to fit the bill. This is what my free wondering mind came up with for the prompt.
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Black Walnuts
Black walnuts always take me home
Back to the place of my childhood
And to the black walnut tree growing
On the side of the hill above the driveway
Each fall a bushel full lay in crushed array
Uncracked by car tires driving over
Today at d’Verse, De Jackson asked us to write a quadrille of 44 words for our prompt, and use some form of the word Crack. The word crack brought back memories of collecting, shelling, and later, cracking black walnuts to pick out the meat for cookies and eating. The nuts have a tough husk around the outside and need to fall on the ground and deteriorate some before they can be removed. We poured them on the driveway and used the car tires to shell them out. Then, we put them in the basement next to the coal furnace to dry. The shell of the actual nut is very hard and had to be broken with a hammer.
The photo above shows my siblings, with our neighbor, before I was born. You can see the walnut tree on the hill just to the right of the old water pump. The actual drive was created after I was born.
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When It’s My Time
When it’s my time // let it be a celebration
Not down and sorrowful;
A reminder of all the good things life offered
And the things I chose to accept.
Let it be filled with music and guitars
Singing the old songs that stirred my soul.
Make it a time to remember the good times;
Stories shared that warm the heart.
Celebrate my passing with joy and happiness;
Friends and family coming together as one
Finding strength, joy, and hope.
Let tears mingle with laughter and song;
Knowing that I had a great life
Filled with great family and friends.
As my spirit rises to join the Spirit of God, my creator,
Know that life goes on // both here and there.
*****
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Tucked in…
Fallen leaves
Cover winter tree roots
Warm and cozy
***
Dwight L. Roth
Frank Tassone’s Haikai Challenge today… fallen leaves
Join us here: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/11/16/haikai-challenge-113-11-16-19-fallen-leaves-ochiba-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/
Distillation
Distillation
What is spiritual rejuvenation, but a distillation?
Rising above the fray // Soul and spirit refreshed
Letting go the earthly // heart drawn to God
A soul cleansing bringing purity and wholeness
Distillation
Occurs over and over again throughout life
Lifted by the sunlight of God’s Love
Wrapped in the warmth of God’s Grace.
Restoration always comes with distillation
Distillation
When we come to the end our journey
Our final distillation complete…
Our spirit rises unencumbered
Pure and refreshed into the presence of God
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Forgiveness & Freedom
Forgiveness is the door through
the wall of separation
allowing us to exit
our bitter cage of choice.
Grace is the understanding
that frees us from ourselves,
opening the door of restoration
replacing bitterness with love.
Offering forgiveness to others
comes with no guaranties.
Forgiveness is the door we walk through
…to free ourselves
***
Today is open link night at d’Verse. The inspiration for this poem came as a spin-off from a post I read earlier this week. You can read it here: https://essenceandlife.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/forgiveness/
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Chasing Snowflakes
Snowflake // so perfect so unique
One of a kind ephemeral beauty
Dancing through the air, cold as ice.
I followed her as she floated in free fall
Admiring all those glittering points of light.
I reached out to touch her glistening face
Only to find her cheeks cold to the touch
Her light being only reflected // not inborn.
Landing with all the others
She froze in place // frigid unmoving;
Her individual glory lost in the masses.
Her cold, cold frozen heart melted
In the early morning sunshine.
Sparkling once more, she disappeared
Right before my eyes.
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
The Intersection of Infinity
Caught at the intersection of infinity
Earth’s conception began
“Without form and void”
Matter brought forth // our Earth is formed
At the intersection of infinity
Time as we know it began ticking
Capturing eternity in a fragile snow globe
Still being shaken from time to time
At intersection of infinity we appeared
Formed, created, or evolved we are here
Birthed by an intercourse in time
Just as every living thing that followed
Was born…
At the intersection of infinity… Love was born!
Art work: Mark Garlick – Angel Messages ~ Penetrate Polarity – roserambles.org
Amaya at d’Verse asked us to look at birth as our prompt and write a poem incorporating some aspect of the word. I have been mulling this one around for a while and this seemed to be a good time to put it in words.
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The Magic Oak
Story #1
A giant oak tree stood in the middle of the School parking lot! Rumor has it the center was hollow, and inside lived the souls of teachers from the past.
They called it the Feel-Good Tree, because anyone who stood under it lost the stress of their day. Its magical qualities had been shared for almost a hundred years. Children played around the tree while waiting for their buses. Teachers stood by in the shade and shared the day’s gossip.
The School board decided to build a new building that would be located right where the oak tree stood. Sadly. Taking Down the Tree occurred in the summer when almost everyone was gone. As the roar of the chain saws marked the end of the magical tree, no one heard the mournful cries of the souls of the teachers who resided there for generations.
Today at d’Verse Victoria asked us to write Flash Fiction prose of not more than 144 words. She gave us a line from one of Jane Kenyon poems. Jane Kenyon was born in 1947 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was once the Poet Lauriat of New Hampshire. The line we had to include in our story was: Taking Down the Tree.
I took a photo of our giant oak tree from my former teaching days and created my story.
I realized after the fact that I got the wrong line in my story. It was supposed to be: If it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant.
I edited the ending to my story and inserted the correct line. Below is the revised version.
Story #2 The Magic Oak
A giant oak tree stood in the middle of the School parking lot! Rumor has it the center was hollow, and inside lived the souls of teachers from the past.
They called it the Feel-Good Tree, because anyone who stood under it lost the stress of their day. Its magical qualities had been shared for almost a hundred years. Children played around the tree while waiting for their buses. Teachers stood by in the shade and shared the day’s gossip.
The School board decided to build a new building that would be located right where the oak tree stood. As the roar of the chain saws marked the end of the magical tree, no one heard the mournful cries of the souls of the teachers who resided there for generations. As they disappeared, they said, “If it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant.”
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
