Downpour

The rain downpour brings with it gully-washers, soon filling banks and overflowing everything in its path. But, no one sits beside a gully-washer. Most prefer a beautiful slow flowing stream. This is the story of our lives. Happiness comes and goes, while joy is that continual flow that makes life worthwhile.

Happiness rises
Sudden burst of energy
Joy bubbles along

Today at d’Verse Sarah asked us to write a poem about the rain. Seems it rained every day last week. This week the sun is out and my garden is thankful!

Join us at:  https://dversepoets.com

 

History Repeats

Seems we never learn from history, so we are doomed to repeat our mistakes over and over again.  The Civil Rights era of the 1960s was a violent time of racial prejudice and hate played out on the streets of the South. Here we are almost forty years later still repeating the prejudice, hate and violence against our fellow men.

Today’s events

Take me back to the sixties

“Blowin’ in the Wind“

*****

“How many ears must one man have

before he can hear people cry?”

Bob Dillon –  Blowin in the Wind

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

My preference is Peter, Paul and Mary’s version of the song. Click below to listen…

 

Webbs Mill

Back in the 1980s our family visited this old mill near Spring Hope, NC. Built along the Tar River, it was no longer in use, but remains a very stately building complex. For many years, it was the center of activity for the town. as farmers brought their grain to be ground. Now it sits idle and in recent years has begun deteriorate badly.

Grinding stones frozen in time
River never stops
Finding resistance in rocks
being shaped in riverbed
Mill remains still
Dying a peaceful death
in trees’ embrace

*****

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Natural Instinct

Seems you just can’s get rid of squirrels. They are everywhere. I have tried relocating some, but there are always more to come and fill in the space. They are cunning little creatures and will do about anything for food.

Sudden food shortage

Fat squirrels fight for survival

Race to get it first

Here the strong survive

Rapidly hogging their fill

Eating upside down

Covid-19 looms

Weighs heavily on our minds

We’re just like the squirrels

*****

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

Convergence

This beautiful stone railroad bridge at Mount Union, Pennsylvania has probably lasted a hundred years. Pennsylvania Railroad trains run along the Juniata River carrying coal and freight.  As I look back on this photo, taken on Rt. 521, I was struck by the beauty of the bridge, and then by the convergence of curved intersecting lines.  The guardrails, white and yellow lines,  and the road all pass through the stone arch of the bridge. Poetic beauty in the everyday infrastructure of our life.

Sweeping lines converge

Modes of travel intersect

Summer trains rumble

Wild bushes // green trees surround

hundred-year-old bridge of stone

Daily life goes on

Beauty taken for granted

River flows nearby

***

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

 

Ready to Leave Home

About a month ago I told my neighbor there was a cowbird going in his exhaust vent. Last week we saw these two little guys poking their heads through the flaps. He finally called the landlord, but was told they could not remove the nest until the birds left. A few days later they were gone and we saw the maintenance person standing on the top of the ladder with a vacuum cleaning out the nest and putting a cage over it.

Two little squatters

Can’t wait to come out an fly

Messy little guys

Mom fattens them on my suet

Leaving their mark they fly

*****

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Masters

Masters

Today at d’Verse, Frank Tassone offered to us two master poets. One was William Shakespear who was a prolific English poet and play-write. The second was the most revered Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉, 1644–1694), who introduced hokku which later became haiku poetry. Both men changed the world with their words. This is the goal of all of us who write. Our hope is that our words will shed light on the truth of the world around us in a way that has both present and lasting affect.

I write poems on my

journey with teacher Bashō

New beans sprouts today

*****

Such different poets

Shakespear and Bashō

Both pushing flowers

**

Bashō visits Shakespear’s stage

So many words are spoken

**

“All’s well that ends well”

What more needs to be spoken

Clear as fresh spring air

**

Lost in endless lines of verse

Shakespear’s never ending voice

**

Bashō speaks more with

less, like a set c-4 charge

Spring explodes

*****

I wrote my Haibun above, then added a few non-conformed haikai ranga verses following that give comparison of the two from Bashō’s perspective.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Photos from d’Verse…

Shades of Red

Deep folds of silk

Cascading atop long stems

Spring snowflakes in red

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

My Geranium

 

Hungry Bird

I had a visit today from an Eastern Blue Grosbeak. He comes to my feeder a few times a year. I am not sure if they are migrating or just tend to stay away. I always like seeing their gorgeous striking colors. This bird was hungry. He hopped right into the cage and ate for five minutes. I thought he would fly away when I got closer to get these photos, but he kept right on eating. It was wonderful to see him again.

Blue grosbeak stopped by

Eating his fill of my seeds

Springtime all around

iPhone Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Keeping Busy in Isolation

Since the weather has warmed up I have been out in my garage painting again. The 42 x 42 inch painting above was given to my neighbor. They asked me to paint a large sunflower for their daughter. That is the last painting which I worked on today. I still a have some work to do on the seed part of the sunflower.  The middle photos are a painting I did on my old Washburn Guitar. It has had significant damage with a hole patched in the body and a head that got snapped and glued back together. Amazingly, it still holds tuning and plays very well. I am a fan of old steam trains as you can see.

Painting // passing time

Waiting for Summer release

Ready for a hug

Paintings: Dwight L. Roth

I finished the Sunflower today…