Vintage grapes grow strong
Up and down Rhine River banks
Barrels of wine wait
Vineyards on the Rhine
Month: November 2020
A Gathering of the Dead
What do you see as you come to the emergence of Winter?
Lying together
Some see death others see hope
Death waiting for life
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
This came to me this morning as I was reading through the collection of Jisei poems from Frank Tassone’s prompt on d’Verse. We are to write a death poem or a Jisei. Jisei poems were of Japanese origins, and were often written in waka (tanka) or haiku, but death poems are not restricted to those forms. What is essential is the expression of both imminent death and the significance of life in the face of it. In this sense, Jisei is the poetry of both memorial and celebration.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com and click on the Mr. Linkey link to read more interesting Jisei poems.
Rising
What would I want to take with me when I leave this world?
My spirit rises
unencumbered by this life’s
winter shroud of pain
I leave earthly behind me
shedding the ephemeral
*****
Photo; Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Frank Tassone asked us to write a Jiesi death poem. Jisei were often written in waka (tanka) or haiku, but death poems are not restricted to those forms. What is essential is the expression of both imminent death and the significance of life in the face of it. In this sense, Jisei is the poetry of both memorial and celebration.
I decided to write my own death poem as a reflection of the struggles of this earth and the joy of setting my spirit free in death as I leave it all behind! This poem evolved out of a longer poem I did a couple of year ago called When My Spirit Rises. This is written in the Tanka format.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
At the End of the Road…
What is you concept of God and heaven? A couple of years ago, I reflected on the concept of God that I was taught as a child; what the Bible taught us about God, and now, in my winter of life, what I think about those images and concepts. I saw this sign along the road a few years ago. This poem addresses more questions than answers. What do you visualize when you think of God?
At the end of the road when my life is done
what will I find will there be one…
who will meet me there at the pearly gates
with hands outstretched no need to wait?
Will he be tall, short, fat, or thin;
When he sees me will he break out with a grin?
*
Interesting to me how we fantasize
seeing God like us, as we rationalize…
Dreaming that descriptions of hands and face
describe a reality that has no race.
Metaphors become reality as we describe our God,
forgetting he is Spirit, and that would be odd;
For a Spirit has no shape, no hands to hold tight
Only a presence of the purest light.
*
So whether God is he she or it,
the God we meet will probably not fit
the idea we have in the back of our mind.
Won’t it be interesting what we will find
…at the end of the road?
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
The “Eyes” have it…
Eyes tell the story
Together we are secure
Even through Covid
I will protect you from harm
Wrapped tightly in my strong arms
*****
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse we are writing about eyes… the window to the soul. When my son was little he loved Raggedy Ann. He was very protective of her. I find it interesting that their eyes are almost the same in this photo! This poem is the story of us all this year! Wear your mask and be safe.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Impossible Possible
Ocean roared with jagged teeth
Sand dunes devoured by hurricane waves
as the sirens’ song wailed from out of the gale
Hatteras Lighthouse sat in peril
“Lets save the light”
Anything one can envision is possible
On tracks of steel they moved it back
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Click on the link for more on this historic move:
This is Quadrille Monday with De Jackson at d’Verse. The prompt today is to write a Quadrille of exactly 44 words using any form of the word possible! I am writing about the historic move of the Hatteras Lighthouse away from the water’s edge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The photo above was taken years ago when we visited there, before it was moved.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Boats of Amsterdam 2019
Water everywhere
Boats of every shape and size
Just like people
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
More Memories of Travel on the Rhine 2019
Cruising up the Rhine
Tourists packed on a cruise ship
Only mem’ries now
Shades of Gray
A couple of years ago I painted a large 4′ x 5′ painting of white horses running in the surf. I saw a video of this and thought it would make a great painting. It turned out very well. A year later I decided to try to do a smaller 16″ x 20″. After working on it awhile I laid it aside. It just was not coming out like I wanted. Later I went back to it again and again laid it aside. Finally this year I thought I would give it one last try and this fall started working on it again. What I discovered is you cannot paint something just white. There has to be shadows and shades of gray and purple to make it show the contrast needed so the white can be highlighted.
This past week I finally got it done to my satisfaction. When I put it on my facebook page, one of my friends said she wanted to buy it! So today it got packed up and shipped to South Carolina. I am very happy she liked it as much as I did.
Black and White looks stark
Accents and highlights don’t show
without shades of gray
Much like the rest of us
Trying once again to blend
*****
Today is World Kindness Day celebrated in many countries.
Perhaps the US should consider adding it to our list of celebrations.
Paintings: Dwight L. Roth
Write Your Memoirs Now
Tell your story
Let it roll from your mind like an avalanche
Mighty and intense
Driven by unstoppable forces
Knowing that if not you
No one
Will ever know the depth of joy and pain
It will be lost
Forever
Now is the opportune time to write your Memoirs. With Covid-19 keeping us from the many activities we used to do, you now have the time to reflect on your life. The shadow of death all around us reminds us that our mortality is not an ongoing thing. You can do it all and self-publish it yourself.
You might think you can’t remember all the details of the past enough to write a memoir. But, it is a lot easier than you might imagine. Take time to reflect on your life. Remember your family events, funny incidents, serious incidents, births, deaths, travels, school experiences, church experiences and many more. Think of the significant things that have affected your life and made you the person you are today. As you write, the memories come back and build on themselves.
When I wrote my childhood memoirs, I sat down and wrote one story each evening for thirty days. It was like writing a stream of consciousness poem. Write what ever comes to mind, you can edit later. You don’t need more than two or three pages each. Short stories are much easier for others to read.
Each day, I emailed my stories to all my family members. They enjoyed reading them and often sent tid-bits to add to the story or corrected my faulty memories. They were my editors! I have done four memoirs and self-published them since 2014.
Write your stories on your Word Processor. I used MS Word for mine. Use at least a #14 font. Save each one with a title. Then copy each one into an ongoing Memoir file that will become your book. You can include photos as well. Change everything to black and white. That keeps the cost much more reasonable. You can edit and move stories around as you choose.
When you are done with the stories, create a table of contents, and a title page with your personal publishing information on it. Make note that you reserve all rights to the content. You can make a copyright symbol with a ( a small c and )… (c).
Create a cover page file, with a title and a picture, if you like, and your name. Keep the title page on a separate file so that it can be printed on heavier paper.
Load your completed story and cover pdf.file on a flash drive. Take it to your local Office Supply store (Office Max/Office Depot) to get printed. They can print them in half size 4.25 x 5.5 and put a spiral binding on them. You can choose to get a clear plastic cover added as well. For 100 pages it can run $9 to $14 per book. Get at least twenty copies or more for the best price. It doesn’t cost that much more that getting ten. Watch for discount print coupons as well.
Do it for your grandchildren, do it for yourself. It is so rewarding when you are finished. Tell your story so that it is not forgotten in time. Give them to family and friends. They will thank you! You can also publish them as an e-book for free on Amazon Kindle.
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Photo of me and my older brother on our cistern with our pet goat!
Tonight is open link night at d’Verse Poets Pub. Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
You can check our some of my books on Amazon Kindle… just type in my name in the amazon search box and my books will come up. Click on my name in blue under my photo and all my books will come up!
Roth Poetry 