Unraveling

Linda at d’Verse gave us six painting by Jacquline Hurlbeck to choose from for our poetic prompt today.  I was drawn to this painting of the bluebird’s journey. We could write a poem of our choosing, so I chose to write a limerick.

Unraveling

There was a girl with blue hair
Who appeared to have nary a care
Till a loose thread was found
By a bluebird flying round
And soon she was left thread bare

 

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Cutting Art

Recycled old saw

Dull teeth will never  be sharp

A paradigm shift

Steel blade now a work of art

Blending rust with the ocean

 

I finished painting these scenes today on an old saw from Habitat Restore.  Both scenes are on one saw; one scene on each side. This is a fun way to repurpose old saws that would otherwise be discarded.

The Age of Steam

There is something very fascinating
about steam trains huffing and puffing
when you are seven years old.
I watch it coming up the track…
First, a white light
shining through clouds of smoke;
Then a mighty black dragon of steel
rolls through Martin crossing;
Bell clanging
Whistle blowing
Piercing the evening air.
Rhythmic clacking of wheels
shines steel rails to a mirror finish.
Cars, the color of coal dust,
are piled high with chunks of black gold…
Coke from the ovens that
fuels the blast furnaces in Pittsburgh.
I count the cars …a hundred or more…
and finally, the red caboose passes by
disappearing in the distance.
The Pennsylvania Dragon chugs on;
soon to go the way of the dinosaurs…
Lost somewhere back in time.

********************

Train Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Tonight is open link at d’Verse. I wrote this as a submission to Old Mountain Press for the upcoming anthology, Old Times Not Forgotten.

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Old Musicians

Old musicians die
But their music lives on
Beautiful tributes
To the power they harnessed
That changed the world
Challenged politics
Social Norms
And, brought about revolutions
Music that touches the soul
Reaches all the way to heaven
And Hell
Yes, old musicians die
But their music is alive and well

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

(Wo)man in the Moon

Moonlit reflection left on the leaf covered ground
The (Wo)man in the moon staring back at me
Shining in the leaves // smile fixed on her face
Lifeless image brought into view on the full moon
Knowing eyes that never blink // never close
How sad to be a Rushmore face seen only on moonbeams
Disappearing in the waning days // hiding in the dark
Only to reappear once again when the moon is full

Today at d’Verse we were introduced to the art work of Mary Frances.  We were asked to write an Ekphrastic poem choosing one of her works. Ekphrastic poetry is a poem  that is inspired by a piece of art work. I decided to write a fantasy poem from her face in the leaves picture.

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The Making of Me

Not sugar and spice;

Sometimes not even so nice;

Flesh and blood I am…

a body that will not last.

Just like the junk we buy…

I too am disposable.

Dust to dust and ashes to ashes

has me covered from beginning to end.

Maybe the evolutionists got it wrong?

We all came from dust and ashes;

Water just facilitates our staying alive.

God must have had fun

making mud pies…

Ending up with me!

What we can’t explain

Is that elusive Spirit

living part time

in my dust and ashes;

Quietly slipping back to its origins

As this body reaches its end…

The image of God // the soul-spirit

lives on… returning to the

handler of dust and ashes

********

Photo taken at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Amaya, at d’Verse, talked about the different views of the origins of matter and of you and me. Essential elements and forms of matter have been recognized by different people, cultures and religions all the way through the centuries. People looked at the stars and developed astrological explanations of matter.  Instead of looking at the astrological aspects, I decided to go straight to the heart of matter… Me!

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Less is More

My friend Vera from Barbados asked me to paint her a large tropical sunset for her bedroom wall. Her walls are a light shade of lavender so she wanted a lot of purple in the painting. The first painting I tried did not come together. It was over painted and turned into a jungle. So I took it off and started with a fresh canvas.

This time I went back to Bob Ross principles of painting. I put the colors in the sky and ocean and waited for the colors to set in a little, then used cream latex paint to blend all the colors using a wide sponge brush. I left it  dry a day.

Some artists don’t like their customer to see their work until it is finished, but the next day Vera came by and saw what I was doing. I told her I was going to go back and add more definition and some more color to the sky and ocean, but she said, “No, I like it just the way it is. Just add in the palm branches and some flower on the other side.” So I did, and it came out just the way she wanted! She was happy and I learned that sometimes less is more when it comes to painting!

Barbados sunset

Purple hues on the water

Sometimes less is more

*********

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

30 x 48

What’s Up?

If, when we die,
we go up to heaven…
Do folks in the Southern Hemisphere
go down?
And when we travel
out in space…
Do we go up or down?
Up seems only valid
when there is
an Earth that grounds us…
Looking up!

Earth Rise Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Quadrille Monday…   Today, at d”Verse, De Jackson asked us to consider the word up. I decided to attempt to add a bit of humor to my Quadrille of only 44 words.

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The Phoenix Rises

Another senseless shooting here at UNC Charlotte this week left families devastated. The student who tackled the gunman gave his life to save his classmates. The whole community is in mourning over the incident. Many turned out along the highway today as the young man was brought back to his hometown of Waynesville.

Rising from the ashes

the phoenix returns.

Bringing hope and strength

to all who hear

the tale of rejuvenation.

In this time of violence

destruction and mayhem,

personal devastation and loss

may seem to much to bear.

But, like the phoenix

life will return

And from the ashes

good will come.

**********

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Open link night at d’Verse. Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

 

 

 

Homeplace

I found this old photo of my grandmother and her children. It was really worn and had some damage, but it still showed the personalities and character of each one. My father was the youngest and is on the far left in the picture. Sadly the oldest son was killed in a car wreck at the age of 21. A couple of years ago I did a painting of my father’s homeplace at the edge of Allensville, Pennsylvania, which you can see below. A number of improvements were made since the first photo was taken almost a hundred years ago.

Grandma Roth raising

four young children on their farm

A strong-willed woman

Providing for her family

Hardworking husband cared for

Painting: Dwight L. Roth