Truth or Fools Gold?

Finding truth in today’s world
is like panning for gold.
We gather our pan full of sand
our minds swirling around;
Washing out the stones and gravel
sifting through bits of silt.
Hoping to find a glint of truth
in the bottom of it all.
Sometimes // we find a speck
here and there;
Other times, all we end up with
is fools gold!

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

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…

 

Potholes

The winter took its toll on our streets
As garbage trucks rolled by each week

*

Our potholes have grown so deep
Each time I hit one I shriek
The DOT did a fix without the right mix
Now the gravel back out slowly creeps

Today is Quadrille Monday at d’Verse. De Jackson asked us to use any form of the word Fix! Today I have been fussing with the DOT (Department of Transportation) about the poor job they did fixing the potholes in our street. They had to come back within thirty days and refill them. They just throw in a little gravel with some thin tar and hope it stays. But it doesn’t! Very frustrating!!

Photo taken today: Dwight L. Roth

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Thank You!

This week I passed 5000 followers on Word Press. Seems like an impossible dream for me. I thought it was really something when I reached a hundred followers. Then it was three, then five and now five thousand followers!
I am most grateful to all of you for your friendship, inspiration, and kind support. I learned to know so many people from all over the world who appreciate poetry and enjoy my photos and art work. You have been most generous with your likes and comments.

Here are a few thoughts on creating a successful blog:

* Write your blog because it makes you feel good.

* Be authentic in your writing… share your life and imaginations.

* Colorful photos are a great eye-catcher and compliment your work.

* Don’t try to imitate or copy someone else’s style of writing.

* Keep posts short and crisp. Say what you say and stop!

* Present a variety of subjects that are unique and interesting.

* Join a group of bloggers who enjoy what you do.

*Most importantly practice networking:
-Put likes, comments, and follows on other people’s blogs.
-Always respond when someone takes time to comment on
your work. Thank yous are important!
-Develop personal life interactions with some of your bloggers.
-Plan to spend a lot of time each day on your blog.

*As followers, increase you won’t be able to read everyone’s blog who follows you, but it is important to check in with them from time to time.

Have fun and see the world through others! Thank you for being a part of my life!

Dwight

P.S. … and I am still using the Free Word Press Blog!

 

Imagine

The thrill of the imagination
Takes us places we can never go
Beyond this earthly home
Out into the solar system
Wrapping our minds around the
Concept of a galaxy in a world far far away
Imagine going into the depths of the earth
“All the way to China,” as we used to say
…Our way of saying very deep

Imagine riding with Voyager
As it continues to sail out into the universe
Beyond our solar system to worlds unknown
Having paid its dues in 2012 sailing on
Singing, “I’ll fly away oh glory, I’ll fly away!”

Who are the imagineers of the present
With visions beyond this realm
Pushing the outer limits in ways yet to be
Not content to live in Earth’s isolation
Rather seeking ways to imagine
The reality of a Star Trek generation
That will stretch our imaginations even more

Painting “Earth Rise” – Dwight L. Roth

Posting for Open Link night on d’Verse.  Join us  at: https://dversepoets.com

National Day of Prayer 2020

“We’ll pray for you”…. “We will keep you in our prayers”
Seems a meager token in the presence of such loss.
In the face of Covid-19 do prayers get through?

Seems more a roll of the dice… a lucky toss…
where some will win and some will lose.
The winners say their prayers got through;
Losers leave the faithful wondering why?

The scriptures say, “If you will humble yourself
and pray, I will hear …and heal your land.”
Is the key in the humbling more than the praying?

Pray for peace… become a peaceful citizen
We will pray for you… I will be there for you
So sorry for you loss… what can I do to help
Prayer is not answers, it is a reshaping of our minds

Today, Frank Hubney at d’Verse asked us to write a fourteen line poem of our choice. Since today is the National Day of Prayer, I decided to take a look at prayer and what it means in my understanding. You are welcome to agree or disagree. Come join us at: https//dversepoets.com

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Introspection

I hear of people who go off by themselves for days at a time to look inward and outward experiencing self-awareness and spiritual renewal! I never understood that at all. For me life is full of interaction and connection that stimulates my mind and soul. Some may think I am shallow as a result, but for me introspection comes through connection.

Climbing down into the darkness of being alone;

Feeling lost and disconnected with others all around.

It’s like making my way through mind mazes with no exit…

Finding more than I bargained for in this cavern of the soul.

No // I must stay connected to thrive feeding off others.

I never found myself a good enough friend to myself

to make me want to become a recluse.

Short stints of contemplation are fine;

An evening of writing poetry stimulates my mind;

But // I would never ever want to be alone

over any lengthy period of time

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Bjorn at d’Verse asked us to think about how we handle solitude. Many folks have had to deal with being disconnected and alone during this time of pandemic! There is a sense of loss that come with that, but it is a time that can be used for creative purposes as well.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

 

 

Poetry in Song

Some of my very favorite poetry is found in the songs people write. Songs tell stories of love and rejection. Some write about objects like trains or jet planes. Simon and Garfunkle wrote about the city of New York in Sound of Silence. On of my favorites is a song by Steve Goodman about a train they called the City of New Orleans.  The mix of  images and metaphors is wonderful, down to earth, and unforgettable. The music is just the icing on the cake!

Poems, and Prayers, and Promises blend with melodies and harmonies transporting us to other places and times with unforgettable lyrics. They share life as it really is as they connect to more than one part of the brain. Some of the greatest poets of our time are singer songwriters. Their songs can take us to locations and situations we have not visited in fifty years. Although many over the years considered country music repetitive and uncouth,  Merle Haggard was considered the Poet of the Common Man.  Perhaps the critics should take a second look… or listen and enjoy this train ride with Steve Goodman on the City of New Orleans. This is Americana and poetry at its best!

Poems and melody

Connecting words with the heart

Spring poetry sings

***

Song clip from You Tube

Posted on d’Verse poets open link night…. https://dversepoets.com

Waiting

It may seem the waiting is is driving us bonkers.  We are asked to stay at home and not gather with our friends or extended family.  But, instead of feeling trapped, find freedom in what’s going on all around. Spring  is bursting forth in all its glory. It doesn’t wait for any virus. Count your blessings, open your eyes, and know this too shall pass.

Sometimes we must wait

For this endless train to pass

Enjoy Spring beauty

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Truth Telling

 Art is often unappreciated till the artist is long dead.

By then a new generation who reads and hears

or looks and sees values the beauty others missed.

 

Artists paint and poets write their understanding of truth

in hopes that it will resonate with another soul.

Words bring light in a dark night of disillusionment.

 

Truth is often ignored, denied, or rejected

So we wrap it in enticing words that draw you in

then lay it out with arrows that gently pierce your soul;

Hoping that a few will stick long enough to make a difference.

~Dwight L. Roth`

 Painting : Dwight L. Roth

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This sums up why we write and create art…

“Posterity may even, will likely even, forget us entirely. And yet, we are writing. And we are, for the purposes of this discussion at least, thinking about writing something of immediate force that might remain relevant to the future.” ~ Czeslaw Milosz

Quote taken from: the Poetry Foundation

ESSAY

Tell It Slant

How to write a wise poem.

BY CAMILLE T. DUNGY