Life’s Choices

Resolutions are simply acknowledging a bit of wisdom.

Like,” When you add something to the cupboard of life,

subtract something.”

Most are simply common sense that I should already know

Things that if done make life better for me and others

I don’t give much thought to resolutions… turned wishful thinking

I try to live every day the very best I can and not worry about the rest

When the time comes life will make my resolutions for me

Whether I like them or not

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse, Punam gave us a list of five resolutions. We were to pick one and incorporate it into a poem regarding resolutions. The one I chose is in dark print in my poem.

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Shredded Lives

Sadly, we have another incident of a young man, stopped by the police, ending in tragedy! Dragged out of his car the man was brutally beaten by five police officers. He died three days later in the hospital. The five police officers have been charged with murder. Bodycam video released has once again brought protesters out into the streets calling for justice. It is so sad to see this happen over and over again. When will we learn a better way to deal with our problems.

Another man dies

violently, beaten by cops.

Families’ lives shredded

*

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Substance

The bold and beautiful soon grow wrinkled and old

Proving externals are fleeting butterflies we can never hold

The Kardashians, the Housewives, and sitcoms retold

Fade into shrouded oblivion when fans lose interest and get bored

We live in a society of hollow people endlessly seeking attention

Codependent on its fans chasing entertaining frivolity

**

But with poets it’s a different mindset driving them to write

Fans and followers are always welcomed into the shadow of their light

But poets write from a place of substance deep within their souls

From a well of life’s relatable experiences, as they are growing old

**

The poet writes though no one reads nor listens to his words

Driven by a Spiritual urgency needing to bare his soul…

Knowing words are his confession waiting to be heard.

An epitaph that outlives himself, left waiting within the scrolls

Written words last through centuries hidden …untold

Treasures to be found speak truth a hundred year from now

The poets fire still burning bright… within the candle’s glow

*

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Faith… Belief in an Impossible Truth (an opinion piece)

“How do Faith and Truth fit together?”

Every culture has a religious element that believes they have the Truth! We know that this cannot be possible so how do we explain Faith and Religious Truth.

I believe Faith is belief in a seemingly impossible Truth! By this I mean that though we might try to logically explain or defend our beliefs, there are elements that do not fit logic and are totally dependent on Faith. As we enter the Christmas Season this become very evident in our celebrations. The concept of God becoming man through an immaculate conception, the belief that Jesus is the Messiah the savior of the world, the shepherds receiving the birth announcement from an angel choir, the wise men (astrologers) from the East who saw a bright star and followed it to find the baby who was to become King. And then the miracles throughout the life of Jesus, his death, burial and resurrection are all things Christians believe to be their understanding of Truth! Even belief that the Bible itself is the Word of God is based on Faith in a seemingly impossible truth. 

Impossible Truths

Accepted, believed by Faith

Words to live by

***

Faith: Belief in an impossible Truth

Love should bind us together

Without Love our Truth really is impossible

***

Cologne Cathedral Photo: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

Light in the Darkness

Reach for the Light

Trees reach for the light

Following the sun

As it reclines on the edge of the world

Knowing that without light

There is no life

In a world filled with darkness

My soul rises toward the light

Evil presses in to overwhelm me

Terrors of darkness distract

Let your spirit rise with mine

Reach for the (sun)/son

An example for everyone to follow

Source of Light and Life

Always shining never hiding

Spirit touching spirit

Reflecting the Light of God’s Love

My escape

From the eternal darkness around me

Towers of Babel

How quickly time covers

structures once thought permanent

lost and forgotten

leaving them now crumbling

as nature swallows them up

***

Time and nature

having been here before us

will win in the end

***

As we foolishly

think our towers of babel

will be our answer

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

The Weave of History

When I was very young, I am told there was a rag man who came from house to house collecting pieces of cloth that no longer had much use. He took those pieces and wove them into rag rugs which he then sold to earn money. For many years my mother had one, very similar to the one in the picture, on the floor in front of our kitchen sink! 

Everyone wants their stories told about what happened to their ancestors in the past. Obviously, we cannot tell every detail of every story, so bits and pieces of the truth are woven together to make what we understand to be our collective history.

History is woven like a rag rug

pieces woven together to make a solid tapestry

Colorful, yet never of one truth alone it seems

but of many colors, versions, and perspectives

all woven into a solid mat that we can stand on

to protect ourselves against the cold hard true reality

that we would rather not experience in detail

Rag Rugs found on:  https://www.etsy.com/

Lighting a Fire… or Putting it Out

Today, I painted two watercolors that are memories from our trip we took a few weeks ago. The first one is a little red fireplug that was by the sidewalk as we strolled leisurely along, and the other is the Little Stone Church on Mackinac Island. At the time, I did not see any parallel between them, but the more I thought about it the more it stimulated my imagination. So, this poem is about opposites and similarities.

Little red fireplug waiting alone

for the time when its purpose will be fulfilled

A time of connection when the water inside

can flow forth with such force

that it will put out a fire

saving a building from physical destruction

***

The Little Stone Chapel sits high on the hill

standing out in the morning sunshine

waiting for a time when its purpose can be fulfilled

An inviting place where all are welcomed

to hear the good news of faith and hope

A time of heavenly connection

that when accepted by faith can light a fire

in one’s soul

saving them from spiritual destruction

***

Watercolor Paintings: Dwight L. Roth

 

Sharing this on d’Verse Poets Pub open link night

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The Heart of Politics

The Bible says,

“The heart of a man is desperately wicked,

Who can know it?”

This seems to be very true when it comes to politics

As I listen to the campaign ads on TV

it does not take long to realize

that the heart of politics is lies and twisted truth

Just enough truth to salve itching ears

Just enough of a lie to make you a believer

As we come now to the midterm elections

we have again witnessed all of the above

So, what is one to do?

Most of us are smart enough to see the deceit

We recognize the half-truths

And in the end

We compromise

Every vote is a compromise

In our democracy each has a right to his/her opinion

What it comes down to, in my opinion, is this

Which candidate’s policies will do the most good…

for me, for the country, and beyond

We know we won’t agree on everything

So, to vote is to compromise

Something long lost with our lawmakers it seems

***

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Drunk on Politics

Perhaps you might consider your vote to be

like a seed cone of hops in the giant political cauldron.

fermenting and condensing together with others

yielding something far more potent when brewed…

A mix of ideology… a blend of change and diversity.

*

It flavors society as the sour mash boils

evaporating and rising, cooling condensing

contained and chilled, giving a colorful heads-up

to all who partake… who choose intoxication.

*

It is repulsed by others who don’t care to imbibe

Those of “clear thinking”… and “God on their side”

Hard-line, immovable… a Jack Daniel’s of a different kind

Cooking four more years and extremely intoxicating.

It’s all about their vote, their ideology, and their guns

and… “Making America Great Again”

Photos from Manheim, PA –  Dwight L. Roth

Today Lisa, at d’Verse, brewed up a new prompt for us today. We are to consider fermentation in any form we choose. I decided to go with politics. Seems fermentation goes on there on a daily basis!

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