Old in age, I am young at heart
Seeing my way through an uncharted maze
I look for light in the winter dark of night
Racing slowly toward the finish line
*
Days creep by, as redundant weeks roll on
Attempting to find meaning in the meaningless
Believing in that unbelievable Spirit of all Creation
Experiencing grace and comfort in not knowing
*
In this winter of freezing joints and pushing buds
I defy the waiting cold earth with warm sunshine
I write my simple poems from inspired words unknown
As night closes in, each new day dawns
“I am the bud and the blossom, I am the late-falling leaf” – from The Paradox by Paul Dunbar
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Laura asked us to consider writing from the perspective of paradox. She gave us some lines from different poems to choose from for inspiration. I chose the one from Paul Dunbar’s, The Paradox.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com then click Mr. Linkey to read more.
Hey, I can relate to this!
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Thank you Lynn!
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“Experiencing grace and comfort in not knowing”
I love this line! Beautiful poem
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Thank you Nick! I appreciate your comment!
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An excellent response to the prompt Dwight, and this old poet resemble your words precisely… ππ
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Ha Ha… thank you Ivor. This old poet does as well! I appreciate your kind words.
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Every day we rise is a day to “… defy the waiting cold earth with warm sunshine.” π π
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Yes, it is! I love each new dawn!
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so pretty poem, wonder..
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my favorite line:
“Experiencing grace and comfort in not knowing.”
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Very beautiful piece, Dwight!
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Thank you very much Lucy! I appreciate your comment!
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a masterful rendition of the paradoxes of the aging process … something we are so blessed to experience! Appreciate you adding the spiritual dimension π
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Thank you so much Kate for your kind response. Aging is full of paradoxes it seems. Faith is one of those.
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I’ve always believed it’s healthy to question our faith closely before death … I did hospice work for years and watched some struggle with that paradox, too difficult near our end ..
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I agree! Thank you.
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A profound poem on a superb quotation
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Thank you Derrick. This was an interesting prompt to write from. Hope your day has found some sunshine coming through again!
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Exquisite Dwight, well written!
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Thank you so much Rob! I appreciate your kind affirmation!
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Your poem resonates deeply with me, Dwight, I too feel young at heart, but age has brought arthritis and I have started walking with a stick, which is why I feel the lines:
βIn this winter of freezing joints and pushing buds
I defy the waiting cold earth with warm sunshine
I write my simple poems from inspired words unknown
As night closes in, each new day dawnsβ.
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Thank you Kim. Aging has its great paradoxes for sure, both physical and mental! I am glad the resonated with you. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
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I like your understated expression of faith here, Dwight:
‘Believing in that unbelievable Spirit of all Creation
Experiencing grace and comfort in not knowing’
I believe I have been experiencing something similar this winter.
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Thank you Ingrid! There are many paradoxes of faith that we all experience. I am glad you connected and understood where I am coming from on this one.
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I lost track of the quantity of paradoxes used, each one powerful on its own.
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Life is full of them for sure!
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Profound and introspective Dwight! π
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Thank you Kym! Lots of time for introspection these days!
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Yes, indeed! π
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:>)
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a very tender poem Dwight especially here:
“Believing in that unbelievable Spirit of all Creation
Experiencing grace and comfort in not knowing”
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Thank you Laura! I am glad you enjoyed it.
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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π π π
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Yes, for as long as I can! Thank you David!
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Not that you need it, Dwight, but you have my full support!
-David
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That is so very nice of you to share that with me David. I really do appreciate you taking time to read and comment on my posts. It means a lot to me.
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Perfectly translated! Bravo!
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Thank you very much!
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Life’s journey is a paradox in itself… and making sense of it all takes plenty of patience, especially when racing slowly toward the finish line.
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you are right about that! Thank you for reading and commenting.
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You chose an excellent inspiration line. The last line of your poem is the perfect expression of that paradox we call life.
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That line seemed to fit where I am in life. And yes every dawn is a good one!
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π
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Sweet inspiration here, Dwight, where paradoxes of life just make light shine all the brighter as we believe and hope. Beautiful.
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Thank you Dora! I have been enjoying my sunshine days! Every new day is precious!
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Love the title!
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Thank you very much… Seems like that is what our life is at times.
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Love this! I believe we should all practice and have “grace and comfort in not knowing.”ππ
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it really takes a load off your mind to do this! Thank you so much for your comment!
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Seeing my way through an uncharted maze
I look for light in the winter dark of night
Racing slowly toward the finish line
This is a classic Dwight! The prompt managed to draw the best from you. Not just the 3 lines above but your whole poem. Flows off so naturally. Fantastic!
Hank
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Thank you Hank! I guess reality is easy to write about when you get this age!! LOL
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I really appreciate your kind affirmation of my work. Thank you very much!
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So many poignant lines here Dwight that we can only know when we are charting this territory. So well delivered and said. πβ€οΈπ
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Thank you Cindy! I appreciate your comment. It all seems to come pretty naturally at my age.
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You’re so welcome Dwight! What a gift and example of life’s blessings coming back to you! π
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Yes, I have been very blessed in my lifetime for which I am grateful.
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ππ·πππ₯°
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I can relate this
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Thank you!
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Wc
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