All of us react… some have courage
Not equal and opposite, but forceful and empowered
Physics doesn’t apply to the soul being challenged
Stirred or spurned, the reaction is the same
Courage rises to the occasion, finds a way to overcome
To rise from the ashes and stand firm in what we believe
Find the courage to react, rather than do nothing
Your actions can change the world
~ D. L. Roth
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Posting for d’Verse open link night…. https://dversepoets.com
I never understood the obsession with big words
calling it logolespy instead of just being a word freak.
Is bigger always better … more impressive?
Only in Texas, I believe.
To me it is just a lot of excited burbles
a gibberish of sorts much like a baby might speak
when playing with blocks on the floor.
I like laconic words… short and sweet…
chosen words that mean something to the reader.
Writing poetry is ikigai the reason for being
that can only be understood when speaking plainly.
Scintilla that sparks of inspiration takes us
down the yellow-brick road looking for the great OZ,
thinking his name should be twenty syllables long…
instead of just one.
No, gargantuan words don’t impress me much.
So… you know something none of the rest of us know
There has got to be a word for that…
Oh yes, that would be eniteo!
“I am distinguished most eminent … look at me shine!”
I say strikhedonia … it is all hog wash!
Simple words are susurrus to the soul…
light as a soft gently breeze.
The expression of belle-ame … my beautiful soul.
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Mish shared some of the new words she has come across on social media. She gave us a long list of them with their definitions and asked us to write a poem using at least three or more of these new words in our poem. I am not a fan of using words that are meaningless to the reader in my poems, and almost skipped this prompt. But then I thought, why not illustrate what I dislike about them in a poem. This is what came out!
For the words and definitions, we were given, join us at: https://dversepoets.com
“Hobson’s Choice,” they say, “is no choice at all.”
Much like the choices of our digital world
Do you “agree” or “disagree” seems to come with
every new social media site or equipment driver
Be sure to read the agreement before clicking…
Yeah, right…Who is fool enough to do that??
“Agree” is a “Hobson’s Choice”… no choice at all
An ultimatum you can’t ignore nor refuse
It is “agree” or send it back!
Who wants to do that?
So, we make our choice to have none
***
Who knows what our choice allows…
Perhaps selling our information?
Listening to us and gathering information?
Spying on us through our camera?
Or… giving up our rights to everything imaginable!
But we will never know… till it’s too late.
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse our guest host Christopher Reilley asked us to write a poem using the word choice. I liked his definition of Hobson’s Choice which is no choice at all!
Join us at: https://dversepoets. com
Stings and Sweetness
“If we want to eat their honey, must we put up with their stings?“
As I was reading Judy Dykstra-Brown’s post, I came across this line. Bears have always known this and still they search for the honey. We have come up with suits to prevent the stings.
I realized that this is true of most relationships as well. Whether it be children or spouse, family or friends, we will have to put up with some stings in order to enjoy the benefits of being together. But in some relationships, you must keep your distance, or you will be stung to death!
Thorns guard roses
Bees guard their honey
Both must be carefully navigated
To enjoy their sweetness
***
People are much the same
Sharp tongues guard fragile egos
Clothed in self-confidence
We bring out their sweetness
***
“If we want to eat (enjoy) their honey, we must put up with their stings,,, “
Photos: Chris Roth
Click below to read Judy’s post:
The Vacant Lot | lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown (judydykstrabrown.com)
After reading the blogpost *“Existence of Sand”, I began thinking further on the subject from a little different perspective. These are my thoughts.
Knowing Our Limitations
Children build castles in the sand
Knowing they won’t last
Washed away in the high tide
Walls and moats and shells
do not stop the tide from wiping
the shore clean
And the next day
they do it all over again
Just like children we create our castles
full of detail and embellishments
Building walls around us
we seek protection
from fear, war, and destruction
We buy guns thinking they will protect us
Move into clustered communities
of people just like ourselves
Erecting monuments
we hope to be remembered
forever
But just like grains of sand
these too will go
The high tide hits us all in time
Wiping the slate clean
over and over
again and again
And someone else will build
their castle on our shore
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
*Check out this interesting post:
Some think diversity should be a mandate
A cultural change forced to enlighten
Not just acknowledged acceptance,
but required
I see diversity, not as a melting pot,
but as a mosaic masterpiece of all shapes and sizes
One to be celebrated, shared, and acknowledged
Photos: Phil Roth
We are back from our summer break at d’Verse and Merril has given us the prompt celebrate, to celebrate eleven years as a poetry group on Word Press. She said we can use it in any manner we choose. I wrote a perspective on celebrating diversity; getting along with one another in spite of how we look or what we believe.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
My little green frog that lives under my deck seems to have laid her eggs in my rain barrel. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed tadpoles swimming when I opened the lid to get some water for my geraniums.
A day or two later I emptied most of the fifty gallons of water on my garden, leaving about a foot of water in the bottom. I could not imagine they would survive in the hot 94 F temps we were having at the time. When we got a light rain a few days later, there they were swimming around in the barrel. I decided to leave them there and watch them for a while.
Yesterday I noticed they were growing hind legs. I can’t imagine that they are still alive and thriving. So, what do I do now? Leave them there to mature or dump them on my garden? Not an easy question to answer.
Tiny tadpoles swim
Growing in my rain barrel
Frogs or tadpoles
***
Life’s unexpected challenge
Leaving choices to be made
**
Who should decide?
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
Update: 7-9-2022
The tadpoles have been growing legs; first hind legs and then front ones. We had a couple of heavy thunderstorms this week. I thought I would scoop some of them out and put them in the ditch/stream which now has standing water in it. When I opened the lid, I was surprised to find only three of the thirty plus tadpoles still swimming there. Apparently, they all floated out the overflow notch I had cut in the top of the barrel. Not sure how they survived, but they must have figured it was time to make their escape!
A willing subject is the key
Believing all will be
What is spoken to me
Tickling my itching ears
Stirring my righteous anger
Calling me to do what
I would never dream of doing
had this spell not been cast
on me…
so willingly
This is my second poem for the prompt Spell. As I watch some of what is going on with the Senate hearings on the January 6th riots at the Capital, I had to think about why this happened. The hypnotist chooses willing subjects to do his bidding, but the subjects usually choose who they want for their hypnotist! This is not only true in politics.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
I met my friend Sri last week for lunch. We had a wonderful time catching up with life and family and changes. He knows I have a sweet tooth, so he bought me a large cinnamon bun for dessert. I split it and we both enjoyed this shared experience. Good friends are wonderful and make life a joy.
Feelings
Some think life’s choices are about being right or wrong
I believe my choices are more about how life makes me feel
The love of another, the joy of a child, the compassion of a friend
Life is about that connection I feel when someone gets me and I them
That connection of interaction and validation beyond the superficial
A person can follow all the rules and “do things right”
and still be miserable, if that feeling of connection is missing
Life for me is about sharing the joy I feel with others
in spite of knowing some will never quite understand who I am
It is the appreciation that comes with kind affirmation
that renews and restores my confidence in myself
Life that is only about being right or wrong is a very cold life
For me, life is about feeling and loving deeply and caring for others
It is what makes my life worthwhile
*****
Photo selfie: Sriam B.
I believe meaning and purpose often dies with us. Emotions are very hard to pass on …except through genetic predispositions. So much is gone when one dies. A lifetime of memories and stories are left untold, while a few cherished moments and trauma live on …sometimes for generations.
I see it happening, when I volunteer at the Habitat Restore. Parents die leaving a houseful of keepsakes. A handful are saved, and our box truck brings us the rest. Stuff often loses meaning when passed from generation to generation. Young folks have their life, their own stuff; So, unwanted treasures from the past go to be sold to someone who will cherish them, and then perhaps they too will be passed on, resold, or discarded.
Our cherished treasures
full of memories long past
Help build new houses
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Note: Habitat for Humanity Restore is a place that takes donations of many kinds that are resold. The money is used to build new low-income houses for families who otherwise would not be able to afford one. In the past our store alone has taken in enough in one year to build ten new houses.
For more information: https://www.habitat.org/together-we-build?
Roth Poetry 