Evening sun setting
Which road will take us back home
Night’s blanket surrounds
Red taillights shine in the night
Crossroads always bring questions
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Crossroads
Month: March 2021
Wind Blown
Laundry on the line
For all the world to see
Basking in sunlight
Fresh sheets blowing in the wind
A fresh smell like no other
*
Clothes from the washer
Suds squeezed out through the ringer
Woman’s work back then
Monday morning wash day
Life’s simple routine repeated
*
Wicker basket filled
Undies just hung on the line
Wooden clothes pins tight
No one then gave it a thought
Whether the neighbors saw them
*
Phosphate soap bubbles
Tide will always get them clean
Good fresh smells linger
Dry clothes pressed on ironing board
Folded put up by supper
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
At d’Verse this evening, De asked us to write a poem about laundry! I grew up in the days when clothes were washed in a ringer washer and washtubs, hung on the line outside with wooden clothes pins, and ironed on an ironing board in the kitchen! No need for fabric softener back then the clothes always smelled wonderful. I decided to do a series of tankas.
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Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossoms lead the Spring parade. Along with flowering pear, and redbuds they provide a glorious silhouette against the deep blue sky. I took this photo in my neighborhood this morning. Cherry blossoms are a great symbol of new life and light as we lead into Easter this coming weekend.
Cherry blossoms shine
Painting warm soft spring snowflakes
Soon wrapped in deep green
At d’Verse, Frank asked us to write our Monday Haibun on the theme of cherry blossoms. I waited to post till today so I could show you the beautiful cherry blossoms I see as I pass in and out of my neighborhood.
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Rocks in the Stream
Rocks don’t impede flow
Just make life more exciting
Before the sublime
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
White Breasted Nuthatch
White Breasted Nuthatch
Feasts on my sunflower seeds
Free lunch over grubs
Photos; Dwight L. Roth
Making a Difference
Making a Difference
We went this week and got our second Covid shot. The procedure is now very streamlined with little waiting time. After temperature checks we waited only a short time to be taken to a room for our shots. A dozen others were sitting at tables in the process of getting vaccinated. Sitting at opposite ends, we were asked the routine question before getting injected. The nurse did her best to make us feel relaxed and comfortable. I asked her how long she had been there giving the shots. She said since 6:30 this morning. This was at 4:00 PM. She and many other health workers were making a difference in all of our lives with their service. For this we are most grateful!
Dedicated Nurses
Risk their lives daily for us
Heroes among us
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Second Childhood
As a child he loved to watch cartoons
Scooby Doo, the Flintstones, and Bugs Bunny too
All of their antics were such a delight
He laughed and he giggled… oh, what a sight
*
This little boy grew up to be a man
A famous architect who could draw up a plan
His buildings were famous all over world
And his love for designs that were brazen and bold
*
He raised a family and had five children
Loved them dearly and wished for a dozen
As time went on he became a proud grandpa
To twelve little munchkins who loved their Pa Pa
*
From time to time he became forgetful
Couldn’t remember names always regretful
It soon became apparent it was his dementia
But the grandchildren didn’t care about Pa Pa’s absencia
*
Time finally came when he reverted back to childhood
With stories and tales of once being Robin Hood
But on Saturday morning with kids in the room
Now as a child he loves watching cartoons
Today at d’Verse Peter, asked us to write a circle poem that begins where it ends and ends where it begins. Last week I commented to my wife that when I grow old I am going to enjoy watching cartoons again! This led me to the poem I wrote today. All of us are affected in some way by people who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia. It often takes away present memories, leaving only memories of past days or childhood. So, as you see we come full circle in our life at times.
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth – Taken on Rootle – PBS TV
The Oyster Gatherers of Cancale by John Singer Sargent (restoration)
A few weeks ago a 22 x 28 print on canvas, of the Oyster Gatherers of Cancale, came in to the Habitat Restore where I volunteer. It was in very bad shape with stains and yellow with cigarette smoke. We could not clean it, so I decided to get it and attempt to do a restoration on it to bring it back to life. I painted over the colors with acrylic paints, trying to keep the feel of the original. This is what I completed today. The original is below.
Impressionistic
Smoke stains covered with fresh paint
Life on French seashore
“OYSTER GATHERERS OF CANCALE byJohn Singer Sargent”
“John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He was born in Florence to American parents, and trained in Paris before moving to London, living most of his life in Europe. He enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter.
From the beginning, Sargent’s work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for a supposed superficiality.
In later life Sargent expressed ambivalence about the restrictions of formal portrait work, and devoted much of his energy to mural painting and working en plein air. Art historians generally ignored “society” artists such as Sargent until the late 20th century.”
The Painter Without a Brush
All of nature
is painted without a brush
filled with glorious hues
splashed on the canvas
Flowers and butterflies,
bullfrogs and dragonflies
A gallery of starry nights
Silver moon glows bright
Sunrise/Sunsets filled
with a kaleidoscope of color
Continuously changing
before our very eyes
Landscapes of mountains
deserts and plains
oceans rivers
lakes and streams
With red trees of green
thousands of years old
Towering strong…
feet covered
with a needles
And then there is us
painted only for a season
Ephemeral beauty all
short lived full of Spirit
The canvas always changes
when Master Painter makes the call
Today at d’Verse we are writing Ekphratic poems picking one of the five Painting titles give to us by Laura. We are to write our poems painting word pictures describing what that might mean. They we have the option of writing an ekphratic poem from the actual painting itself. I chose The Painter Without a Brush (abstract iii). (Painting below)
Above Photo: Dwight L. Roth
The original painting: Gerhard Richter – ABSTRAKTES BILD, 1987
https://www.sothebys.com/en/videos/gerhard-richter-the-painter-without-a-brush
Chaos of nature
Splashes of color perfect
Brushless painter’s joy
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Nature’s Outie
Dried stretchmarks wrap around sawed-off knots
Straining against pregnant life swelling within
Nature’s outie / where life separated from life
Puckered up smirking at everyone who comes by
Covering scars of knots buried / healing over time
Creating a beauty all its own
enjoyed by all
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Mish asked us to write a Quadrille of exactly 44 words using some form or the word knot. I saw these knots on the side of a tree when we were at the park a couple of weeks ago. I thought they were interesting, so I took a couple of photos of them.
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Roth Poetry 