Cardinal hanging on
Shelling out sunflower seeds
Precarious perch
Many still shut in struggling
Living on the edge each day
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Hanging On…
living on the edge
Twisted Earth
People seem to like living on the edge. As the ocean continues to uncover the twisted Earth within, many still build as close to the edge as possible. Houses and Motels perch on the tops of cliffs, knowing full well, that it is only a matter of time until storm, earthquake, or upheaval will cast them into the sea! The Twisted Earth clearly tells its story. We seem to think it won’t happen to us!
In the cauldron of creation earth bubbled and groaned
Ocean floors found new plains above water
Magma and lava mixed with centuries of sediments
Creating geological hard-shell pigs in a blanket
Continents played musical chairs as the fiery magma spewed forth
Furious upheavals folded rock layers into broken saw-tooth ranges
Volcanic dust settled over the plains mixing with sediments
Forming rich black soil that still feeds us to this day
In the cauldron of creation, Earth still bubbles and groans
It is only a matter of time…. The cycle continues…
Rock formations on the Oregon Coast – Photos: Dwight L. Roth
Are You Really There?
When life begins to implode on you, it is tempting to begin questioning everything you believed. When prayers are not answered and God seems absent, it really sends you for a loop! This is what happened to me many years ago. In time, all worked out and life got back on track. It was during this time that I wrote this poem.
My God… MY God… Why Have I Forsaken You?
“I will never leave you nor forsake you”
This promise I had learned
Then my God why am I forsaking you
Are you really there?
Is there method to all the madness
or are you just a good feeling
that comes and goes
to those who wish it so
You seem so far away
Too distant to hear my cry
Too removed to feel my pain
Answers don’t come life goes on
mixed with tragedy trouble and heartache
I have lost all hope
My life sits on the edge there’s no one here for me
No one to share the pain
Still I pray…
Are you really there?
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Photo Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, HA asked to write a confessional poem that revealed something of ourselves that we may or may not normally have written. I wrote this poem many years ago when, at mid-life, I went through a time when everything in my life seemed to be falling apart!
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Oblivious (Haiku)
Oblivious bee
Floating on fragile flowers
Like many of us
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Running on Empty
This week my wife told me her car needed gas. She said it was almost empty. I asked her how close it was and she told me the odometer said it had a range of 15 miles! As I headed for the gas station I watched the miles click down to 11 when I finally reached the pump. I wonder sometimes, how many people live their live running on empty with only a range of 15 miles till everything falls apart. Perhaps that is how we ended up in the great recession we experienced ten years ago.
Struggling to survive
Credit Cards filled to the max
Running on empty
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Not Born To Be Wild
Some come out kicking and screaming
Living on the edge all of their life
But that is not me
Cautious and careful is my mantra
Warned by parents // witnessing death
My friend who died swimming across the river
Left a lasting impression
I made my choice to live cautiously
This I have done // for wild for me was not fun
No wild parties // no drunken hangovers
Rock climbing left to those who value life less
What I would consider wild
For most would be insignificant
No regrets // no thrills missed for me
I am thankful I was not // born to be wild
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Silo Monkeys Photo: family album
Today Jilly at d’Verse, asked us to take a look at our wild side and write a poem expressing how we live it out. As a teenager I watched the silo monkeys, in the photo above, extend my uncle’s silo another twelve feet. They tied ropes to the staves and swung around like it was nothing. I could not imagine doing that.
I could not think of one thing that I have done in my life that was really wild. So I wrote my poem from the perspective of caution.
Come join us at d’Verse: hppt://dversepoets.com
Alone
One of the hardest questions to answer is why doesn’t God answer my prayer. In the middle of tragedy and loss we wonder why God allows this to happen. When it comes to broken relationships it is easy to feel isolated and alone, thinking no one understands. No one cares about my situation, not even God! But, we are not puppets. We are creatures of freewill and as a result God does not intervene in our choices. Pain and tragedy come and we all seem to go through our struggles. God is there. He still listens and hears our cries. But he does not take us out of troubles he helps us through. If we understand this we can move forward through the darkness to the light of his love.
I Cry Alone
I cry alone I cry alone for no seems to care
So I cry alone
The depth of hurt I know the knife of pain
Cut deep into my soul when no answers came
I cry alone, I cry alone, for no one seems to care
So I cry alone
I cry but you’re not there I’m all alone
Helpless and empty the pain is always there
So I cry alone
I cry alone, I cry alone, for no one seems to care
So I cry alone
Lord are you really there you seem so far away
My life sits on the edge no one’s here for me
So I cry alone
I cry alone, I cry alone for no one seems to care
So I cry alone
For no one feels the pain …of what I bear
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Come Fly With Me!!
Where in the world would you travel if you could do so! There are so many interesting places and cultures to choose from. As I worked on this project, it brought back a lot of events and people in history that made me smile! This collection is 24 x 42 inches. A friend of my suggested the travel idea with the suitcases. I liked the idea and this is the result. I was able to use some larger stamps as well as larger blocks of stamps. These are stamps from all over the world!
Come Fly With Me
Come fly the unfriendly skies with me
Together we will see the world
No more snacks or food for free
Just a bag of saltless peanuts
And enough soda to make me pee
*
Seats so narrow we barely fit
Squeezed tightly and compact we sit
Like Leggos locked in place
We sit there with a smile pasted on our face
*
Come fly with me in spite of the odds
We’ll see the world together
Our bags will arrive from deep in the hold
Our carry-ons light as a feather
*
We will be sure to have lot’s of fun
When we reach our destination
Japan or China or maybe New Zeland
In Rome or Paris or the House of the Rising Sun
*
In spite of our tight seats we sit in
It will all be worth the show
At the window seat I’m pinned in
I’ll love it all I know
*
So come fly with me in New York we’ll meet
And rise above our fears
Float on clouds throughout the years
And fold up all our feet
*
And if by chance they come slinking
Down the aisle to take my seat
I won’t fight or wiggle or swear
I’ll say thank you my dears
And…”Let me Out of Here!!”
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Stamp Art: Dwight L. Roth
