Red sky in the morning casts an eerie spell
over calm flat ocean waves
Is it an ominous warning to sailors?
…or simply warning us of an intense UV day
Either way, wise choices
will tell their tale at the end of the day
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’verse Sanaa asked us to write a Quadrille of exactly 44 words using the word Spell as our prompt. Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
“Red sky in the morning ….sailors take warning.
Red sky at night ….a sailor’s delight.”
The seventies were a fun time in my life. We loved camping at Emerald Isle Travel-n-Park and climbing over the dunes to get to the wide flat beach below. When you are young, 90 F days and sleeping in an 8×10 canvas tent were not a hardship. Riding the waves on blow-up tubes was so much fun. Playing in the sand with our two boys, collecting shells, and building sand creations were memorable summer events.
Now the boys are grown with children of their own, making memories in the sand and floating on ocean waves. Those times pass so quickly. Cherish every minute you have with your children.
My cute little boys
Fun times in water and sand
with deep summer tans
***
Photo: Ruth Roth & Dwight L. Roth
Posting this on d’Verse Poets Pub for Frank Tassone’s Haibun Monday prompt of Summer.
Sky panted bright orange
Twilight chases evening sun.
Burn turns to a tan
Cool lotion soothes stinging pain
Stayed on the beach way too long
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Lillian wants us to play with compound words. She gave us a list of compound words to choose from and asked us to choose one and use it in a poem, but we must separate into the two root words in sequence on two different lines. I choose sunburn in the Tanka format.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
This past summer when we were at the beach, we discovered a bench along the dunes that had been turned into a memorial. I am not sure who Alec Romulus was but it is obvious he was loved and remembered. Someone wanted others who came to the beach to remember that Alec loved the beach. People put shells and mementoes on the bench to show that they cared. It was a beautiful tribute. On this Remembrance/Veterans Day many are remembering those who never made it back home again. Grief is a healthy thing. Most of us have lost someone near to us. Let those memories and feelings flow through you and rejuvenate your soul.
This is Open Link Night at d’Verse Poets Pub.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
The pregnant ocean swells and flattens
Teaming with life unseen
Feeling its heartbeat in the twilight
With the rhythm of waves
Gently rolling in, caressing the shore.
Salt breezes soften the heat of the day
Gulls circle searching for one more bite
Twilight brings a calm serenity
As the sun kisses the ocean one last time,
Before dropping off the edge of the earth
Only to return again at morning light.
Palms silhouetted against the sky
Sway strong and tall in the evening breeze.
Everyone is gone into the shadows
Following the flaming line of tikki torches
Called by the beat of the drums.
Dancers undulate, grass skirts sway
Twilight’s deep shadows close into
Darkness broken only by flames
*
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
A rerun of Twilight….
Today at d’Verse, Linda asked us to linger on the word linger, and write a Quadrille (exactly 44 words) using it in some form! My poem is about two sweet little girls we saw who were next to us at the beach last week. They were having so much fun collecting shells in the surf, they did not know anyone else existed.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Beach Reflections
Two years gone by since visiting the beach
Hearing the ocean rhythms // listening to the sea birds
Time takes its toll on this aging body
Plodding through sand with chairs in hand
Feeling the aches in the hip joint as they talk back
Long walks on the beach left for the young
Children and grandchildren full of life and energy
Still, I love to dig in the sand // creating sculptures with my hands
Creations enjoyed for the moment then lost to high tide
A joy passed down // sons and grandsons legacy
There is a peacefulness at the ocean // gazing out across the vastness
A therapeutic place where my mind can wander far and wide
And wonder how the ebb and flow of this sleeping giant
keeps happening year after year // as it dances with the moon
Though our time quickly slipped away, the experience was priceless
Memories made and hugs exchanged… as we all said goodbye
Posting this for d’Verse Poets Pub open link night.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
S
***
Photos; Dwight L. Roth
Like shells
scattered on the beach
many come and go
seeking their fortune…
Many are gathered.
Special ones found.
Others cast away…
washed out by the tide
or buried in the sand…
While,
“All the Gold in California
in someone else’s name…”
,I saw an interview with Larry Gatlin who wrote this song. He said he was on his way to a meeting and stopped at a traffic light. In the car ahead of him was a station wagon, loaded down with all of the owner’s earthly possessions. The license plate was from Oklahoma. He said it struck him that these poor folks don’t realize that all the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills, in someone else’s name. When he got to his meeting he quickly jotted that first line down on a piece of paper. He later wrote this song from that inspiration.
“Don’t let inspiration pass. You many not get it back again.” ~ Dwight L. Roth
Twilight
The pregnant ocean swells and flattens
Teaming with life unseen
Feeling its heartbeat in the twilight
With the rhythm of waves
Gently rolling in, caressing the shore.
Salt breeze softens the heat of the day
Gulls circle searching for one more bite
Twilight brings a calm serenity
As the sun kisses the ocean one last time,
Before dropping off the edge of the earth
Only to return again at morning light.
Palms silhouetted against the sky
Sway strong and tall in the evening breeze.
Everyone is gone into the shadows
Following the flaming line of tikki torches
Called by the beat of the drums.
Dancers undulate, grass skirts sway
Twilight’s deep shadows close into
Darkness broken only by flames
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Roth Poetry 