Painting Greece

I thought I would try painting four paintings at once, all on a given theme. I chose the Greek Isles. I have not visited there, but found the colorful images of this theme to be very beautiful. I finally finished them this week.  You may recognize some of the locations such as Santorini or Chios.

Mediteranian

Greek Isles attract visitors

and brides in spring

Paintings: Dwight L. Roth

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Laid to Rest

Leaves are laid to rest;

Blanketing the ground around the stones

of those already laid to rest.

Golden brown they fall

scattering in the wind // drifting gently;

A covering for those who have already

passed the winter of their life…

and those who left much too soon.

Soon the oak will be bare of leaves

its branches reaching up toward the blue sky.

Standing tall and stately over the cemetery

it knows when Spring comes

new life

will be drawn from its roots.

And, when this winter is past

it will put out new leaves

that will, once again, shade those

 who have already been laid to rest.

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

I am also posting this for d’Verse Poets Pub open link night.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Masterpiece for God

The Cologne Cathedral is a majestic structure. We visited Cologne this past summer and were in awe of the fine detail in every aspect of its architecture. Looking up, it appears to stretch upward like a giant skyscraper. The most amazing thing is the cathedral was built without the help of modern technology or tools. Skilled craftsman sculpted every stone by hand. Many who visit find this magnificent cathedral to be a very spiritual experience which brings them closer to God. Others simply enjoy the history and appreciate the wonderful architecture.

Craftsman carved

their faith into every stone

Masterpiece for God

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Amaya at d’Verse asked us to use the word Majestic in a poem of our choice.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Tears Remembered

Today, in the US, we are celebrating Columbus Day. To me, a conflict arises, as I think of the Indigenous People who were affected by this event. The arrival of white Europeans meant the beginning of the end of the lives of the Native American people. In North Carolina, the Cherokee people were force off their land and driven to the Oklahoma desert land to live. It became known as the Trail of Tears. Many died on the long march west. Some hid in the North Carolina mountains and a refused to leave. There is still a Cherokee presence in the Great Smokie Mountains.
When we visited Banner Elk a couple of years ago, we saw symbols of Indian heritage in the stone walls erected in the center of town. This was very interesting to me, since I read that there are numerous gated communities in the Banner Elk area. I would guess that very few, if any, of those residents are Cherokee.

Banner Elk stone walls
Remind us of tears shed
Fall brings bright colors

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Frank Tassone, at d’Verse asked us to write a poem for Haibun Monday using the word indigenous. I decided to take the viewpoint of the displaced Cherokee people who once lived in the NC mountains.

In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history.  While Columbus day remains the Federal Holiday, many communities in the US celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

 

Thoughts on Being Real

Kris Kristopherson made the statement after his failed movie “Heavens Gates”:
“What is even more difficult than failure is when you
are perceived as a success and you are failing.” R. St. Mag.

In Margery Williams book the Velveteen Rabbit, she captures what being real means in her children’s story.
“ What is Real?” Asked the rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made”, said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to
you…. It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. Generally
by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop
out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter
at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to the people who don’t
understand.”

Being real means you

bring authenticity to

the life you’re living

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

 

Moon Rise

Cooler weather brought out crowds of people today to the Waynesboro, Virginia Street Fair.  Venders’ tents dotted the main street. People wondered in and out of booths with their children and their dogs. It was a great day to be outside.

Crowds milling about

Fall colors tint the Blue Ridge

Hunter’s Moon rises

Photos taken today with iPhone: Dwight L. Roth

Frank Tassone’s Haikai challenge is to write a poem about the Fall season and the October Hunter’s Moon that rises tonight over the Eastern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Join us at: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/10/12/haikai-challenge-108-10-12-19-hunters-moon-next-full-moon-nochi-no-tsuki-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

My 50th Class Reunion

Today, I attended my 50th class reunion.
A slideshow with funeral sounding music
Reminded us of how we used to look…
With young faces, smiles, and hair all in place.
As I looked across the crowd, I barely recognized a handful.
Like me, they all have changed // age stealing youth.
Some, no longer with us, were cut down in their prime.

Why do people go to reunions?
Is it out of curiosity to see what damage was done?
Is it to compare levels of aging?
Perhaps it is to see old friends
old boyfriends
old girlfriends

What brings us together after fifty years?
Nostalgia and pride // holding on to a past long gone…
Or maybe it is share our achievements
Our failures
Our divorces
Our losses
Our pain

By this time, there is little to show off any longer.
Nature has leveled the playing field
for jocks and nerds, the homely and the beautiful.
Just like falling leaves reflect the beauty
of spring past
and summer gone
So, we too reflect the beauty of vibrant youth
Quickly fading into a sunset of obsolescence;
One last burst of effort before the frost sets in…

Only the full Hunter’s Moon knows why we came;
And what we will take with us as we go…
And he is not telling!
He knows where we will be when the next fifty rolls around.
We will, by then, have taken our place in the cycle of time;
Just sand in the hour-glass for the next generation’s countdown.

   

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Bicycles

Andy Warhol did it best

Arranging the ordinary

Creating images in repeated patterns

Pop Art that makes you look

*

Bicycles in Amsterdam

Not just one or two

But rather, hundreds and hundreds

Stacked together in a Warhol masterpiece

Bicycles of every style and shape

Colors plain and simple

Seats to fit every size bottom

I wonder which bike is mine

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse, we are exploring the use of Pop Art in poetry.  Andy Warhol and others created art by using the mundane items of everyday life. The most common is probably Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup cans painted in repeated variations on the canvas. Today I decided to use bicycles I saw parked in Amsterdam. This is my Pop Art version.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Flawless Beauty

Beauty on Beauty
There you were in the middle of my shot
Resting on a petal sunning yourself
Surfing all that beauty
Drowning in light
Reflecting every minute detail
Flawless yet simple
Elegant
An engineering work of infinitesimal design
A gift from the creator of all wonders
The image of excellence
Beauty on beauty

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Making a Difference

Her gray hair that once flowed around her shoulders
Now pulled back tightly held with a stretch band;
There she sat in her wheelchair // her gaunt body fading
Wrapped in her shawl // holding her little doll on her lap.
As I read stories to the group of elderly residents
She sat with her head down // eyes closed as though asleep;
Yet somehow, I knew she is still listening to me.
I finished, and got out my twelve-string ovation guitar;
They enjoyed singing my old classics from the sixties…
A time when we all were young, and words sung told stories.
As I began to sing, “You are my sunshine…” her head began to move
Others joined in letting the song take them to another place and time.
Thought her body remained motionless, her feet now began to move;
Her soft pink slippers began a rhythmic pattern as she relived the days
When she danced, carefree to the music, with the one she loved.
Clutching her dolly, her eyes went from open to closed and open again
She rode the rhythms of each song in her mind, as feet danced
Pushing her wheelchair back to her unit she quietly said to me,
“I really enjoy that.”
It was then I knew I was making a difference!

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Anmol, at d’Verse, asked us to write a poem that uses description of a person that paints a picture of that person for the reader. I decided to write about one of the elderly persons who comes to hear my stories and songs at the local nursing home.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com