My Verse

Some may ask the reason of existence

This short lived life…

Here today // gone tomorrow

Of what value is my being

Why do I write poetry

Paint pictures with words

Or with a brush

I write because

I am a member of the human race

I write because I am alive

Full of passion and urgency

Finding connection

Creating purpose

***

We are all part of the play of life

“…The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse…

What will your verse be?”

Today at d’Verse, Mish asked us to choose a favorite line from a movie and write it into a poem. I chose a line Robin Williams tells his class in the movie, Dead Poets Society. “…The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse…What will your verse be?”

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Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Tears of Moon

Here in North Carolina, spring has been coming on strong. Frank, at d’Verse, shared with us that the full moon in May is called the Flower Moon, since so many of the spring flowers bloom during that time. The corn is coming up in the fields and the trees have closed in all around us like a big hug. He asked us to write a Haibun about the Flower Moon. I thought perhaps I would take an abstract view of the May Flower Moon with my Haibun.

This painting started out as a landscape with a deep blue sky. But as the painting went on I decided to turn it a quarter turn and experiment with color and the moon. The moon ended up with tears on solid blue, while the others side became a rainbow of deep color. I call it the Tears of the Moon. I darkened the azalea below to give the feel of moonlight on the blossoms.

Spring flowers blooming

Tears of the Moon Kiss petals

Wrens splash in birdbath

Painting and Photo: Dwight L. Roth

This Wednesday marks the appearance of May’s full moon—traditionally called the Flower moon:

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The Beat Goes On

Lone Bass Man keeps the beat

Dancers waltz // music flows sweet

One, two, three // one, two, three

Mellow strings

Melody carries them

Floating high in the hall

Beat goes on

Light steps move // paired as one

Blue Danube

flows gently in their ears

The notes stop // curtsies // bows

The bass man packs it up

He never gets to dance

Lone Bass Man Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse Bjorn asked us to look at the beat in poetry. He asked us to write a poem with the three-beat rhythm of the Waltz.

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Blue

Blue

The static hole

in my heart

as

life pulses by

***

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse, Sarah asked us to write a poem using the word Blue. I decided to go simple and to the point!

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Painting Flaws and All

Back in 2013, I started painting regularly. I watched Bob Ross on PBS every day while I ate my lunch. I was in awe of the way he made a canvas pop in just a half an hour show. I then went out in my garage and tried to replicate what I saw him do. Though I never really was able to master the paint brush like he did, I learned enough to create my own style of painting. I loved experimenting with paint and colors to see what I could come up with. This is one of those paintings. I was pleasantly surprised that some people actually enjoyed my work. Painting was as almost as gratifying as writing poetry!!

An amature’s attempt

Texture and imperfection

Flaws some might feel

detract from the value

But,

Beauty is found

in the eye of the beholder

Where flaws add character

and uniqueness is perfection

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Dreamer

Henry followed the big yellow cat down the block, wishing to pick her up and hear her purr. He continued across the street to the next block. She showed up before on the door step of his old brownstone buildings.

His mother told him not to wander off, but the cat seemed to want him to follow. Henry’s mother’s words faded away. He would only go a block or two.

The cat paused in front of a long winding stair case, then scampered up and through a large open door at the top. Henry thought perhaps he could meet the cat’s owner, so he slowly climbed to the top. As he peered into the dark opening, Henry heard an old man’s voice, “If you are a dreamer, come in my child.” He froze, uncertain whether to go in or run back down the steps.

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d’Verse, Lillian is challenging us with a prosery prompt. Prosery is a flash fiction piece, of exactly 144 words, that includes a line from a poem given by the host. The line is from Shel Silverstein’s poem, Invitation, as published in his wonderful book, Where the Sidewalk Ends. The line is, “If you are a dreamer, come in“.

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The Oyster Gatherers of Cancale by John Singer Sargent (restoration)

A few weeks ago a 22 x 28 print on canvas, of the Oyster Gatherers of Cancale, came in to the Habitat Restore where I volunteer. It was in very bad shape with stains and yellow with cigarette smoke. We could not clean it, so I decided to get it and attempt to do a restoration on it to bring it back to life. I painted over the colors with acrylic paints, trying to keep the feel of the original. This is what I completed today. The original is below.

Impressionistic

Smoke stains covered with fresh paint

Life on French seashore

“OYSTER GATHERERS OF CANCALE byJohn Singer Sargent”

“John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He was born in Florence to American parents, and trained in Paris before moving to London, living most of his life in Europe. He enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter.

From the beginning, Sargent’s work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for a supposed superficiality.

In later life Sargent expressed ambivalence about the restrictions of formal portrait work, and devoted much of his energy to mural painting and working en plein air. Art historians generally ignored “society” artists such as Sargent until the late 20th century.”

The Painter Without a Brush

All of nature

is painted without a brush

filled with glorious hues

splashed on the canvas

Flowers and butterflies,

bullfrogs and dragonflies

A gallery of starry nights

Silver moon glows bright

Sunrise/Sunsets filled

with a kaleidoscope of color

Continuously changing

before our very eyes

Landscapes of mountains

deserts and plains

oceans rivers

lakes and streams

With red trees of green

thousands of years old

Towering strong…

feet covered

with a needles

And then there is us

painted only for a season

Ephemeral beauty all

short lived full of Spirit

The canvas always changes

when Master Painter makes the call

Today at d’Verse we are writing Ekphratic poems picking one of the five Painting titles give to us by Laura. We are to write our poems painting word pictures describing what that might mean. They we have the option of writing an ekphratic poem from the actual painting itself. I chose The Painter Without a Brush (abstract iii). (Painting below)

Above Photo: Dwight L. Roth

The original painting: Gerhard Richter – ABSTRAKTES BILD, 1987
https://www.sothebys.com/en/videos/gerhard-richter-the-painter-without-a-brush

Chaos of nature

Splashes of color perfect

Brushless painter’s joy

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Blossoms and Blue Sky

Blue sky and blossoms

Reminds us that Spring is here

Cardinal’s sweet song

***

Painting – Dwight L. Roth

Two Different Perspectives

A few years ago I painted this waterfall. It started out from a completely different perspective. It was originally a painting of Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest, NC. I had it sitting upside down in my garage. When I looked at it, I loved the way the perspective of the overhanging rocks changed as the painting rotated. I decided to turn it sideways and paint the waterfall flowing from the opposite direction.

The bottom painting was the original and the top painting is the redo. I added in more rocks and extended the waterfall to the bottom. I like the way it turned out. If you rotate the bottom painting you can see how the perspective changes.

Rotation changes

Rocks and water perspective

The world keeps turning

Paintings: Dwight L. Roth