Finding Success

Success comes from within

Not from what we have

or the car we drive

or the house we live in

or the trophies we have won

Success is getting up when you fall

Believing you can continue on

Knowing who you are

And what you can do

Success is loving and being loved

Knowing the value of family

The importance of friends

And that children are an extension of you

Success is giving $15 worth of work

On a job that pays only $10 an hour

Success is treating others with respect

even when you are mistreated

Success is standing up for justice

For those who are being oppressed

Success comes from within

From the core of your being

Success is who you believe you are

and being all you can be

Success is loving God and those around you

being willing to serve others for the good of all

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Posting on d’Verse Open Link night:   https://dversepoets.com

The Summer of ’69

We were in love…

‘It was the summer that men first walked on the moon.’

I was going home with Ruth to meet her parents

We drove across country with friends…

2500 miles in a Ford Falcon

stopping in Illinois so they could be in a wedding,

then driving all night to Iowa City.

It was definitely not your usual trip

But, in five days we reached Edmonton, Alberta.

We both still had miles to go to reach our destination.

It was a wonderful trip, with tubing on the river

canoe rides on the lake, and a boat ride down river;

and, of course, spending time with her family.

The Apollo Moon Mission was in progress

Neighbors invited us to their house to watch

as Neal Armstrong took that first step onto the moon.

It was a little 13 inch black and white TV

with a fuzzy picture,

but we knew history was being made

in many ways in the summer of ‘69

                  We were married after Christmas in 1969

Photo:from the family album and Jim Bowmen 

Today at d’Verse, Linda gave us the first lines of twelve different books and asked us to pick one to include in our poem. I chose ‘It was the summer that men first walked on the moon.’– Paul Auster, Moon Palace, Faber and Faber 1989. I have so many great memories from that summer.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Reflection

The stone-cold moon has no light of its own

Yet shines brightly in the night sky

A round chunk of rock and dust that never gives a moan

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Some hear it humming, bright and full in the stary sky

Some think it calls lovers to swoon

As it returns night after night and days roll by

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We know its strong forces pull the oceans’ tides

Invisible rubber band hangs onto earth for dear-life

Wanting to fly, to sail beyond, yet sometimes runs and hides

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Love it seems, like the moon, is only a reflection

Of that warm smile (of the sun) making it glow

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This poem is a spin-off of an audio poem by Merril Smith.

https://merrildsmith.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/poem-the-wobbling-moon-up-in-roi-faineant/#comment-52291

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Oreo

Faithful friend stays near

Happy to sit on her lap

Shade trees bring cool breeze

***

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Smudged Reality

Falling in love

can blind us to true reality.

I jumped in headlong;

Mind clouded

with distorted expectations.

Imagination running wild

until I am told…

“You are not the one.”

Smack!

Our love becomes

a greasy smudge

on the window pane of my heart

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Today is Quadrille Monday at d’Verse. Mish asked us to write a Quadrille (of exactly 44 words) using the word Smudge! I thought about the smudge a dove left when she hit my window pane quite hard, and left her mark. I thought about the first time I fell in love and hit the window pane of life, just like the dove did to mine. An imprint one remembers for ever!

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Crossing Over (flash fiction)

The old man lay on his death bed waiting for his last breath. Only his wife of sixty years remained with him in this lonely hour.

“We have had a great life together,” Catherine whispered to him as his eyes opened and then closed.

The old man half smiled and tried to nod his head.

“I will miss you my dear, but your time has come to cross over.”

Catherine’s mind wandered as she contemplated his passing…

“Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.”

“As your soul becomes one with the universe, the thought of beginnings and endings will be no more. The spirit of creation will carry you into the joy of your existence; beyond all that you could ask or think!”

His breathing became more shallow. She held his hand, as John drew his last breath.

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse, we are doing Prosery (flash fiction of exactly 144 words). Merril has chosen a line from Jo Harjo’s “A Map to the Next World.” The line must be included in our story.

The line is: “Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.”

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com then click on the Mr. Linkey box to read more…

Young Love

Remember the days of young love

Excitement knowing no bounds

Charged thrill of being together

Your smile

Your skin soft to the touch

Fingers like an artist

Gently gliding like brushes filled with love

Filling my canvas with life and color

Remember the days of young love and laughter

Of waves crashing over us

Carrying us to shore

Resting only for a moment in the sand

Wading out to ride the next crest

Hoping this will be the big one

Now it’s time for the younger ones

Filled with the zest of life

To repeat the cycle of love that knows no bounds

Always looking for the next big wave

Painting their canvas with the color of Love

Photo; Dwight L. Roth

I am posting this on d’Verse open link night. Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Prayers

Prayers

Prayer is love sent by way of heaven

Encouraging those we love in their time of need

“Thoughts and prayers” is not just a cliché

It is a way of showing God’s love… sending virtual hugs

Hopefully bringing comfort and support

Letting them know they are truly loved

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Say it Now

‘This being human

is saying, “I love you!”

Before it’s too late…

Realizing that sharing

our love is being human

Today at d’Verse, Kim asked us to use a line from Rumi’ poem Guest House. We are to start out with, “This being human is…” and write a poem expressing what it means to be human.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com then click Mr. Linkey and read more posts.

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Lasting Wealth

Seek prosperity

above good relationships

Wealth flies out the window

Die alone without either

Serve others… be loved

Be remembered

for how you made them feel

That is true wealth

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth