Rust

There is a lot of history in rust

Experiences hidden away in flecks of iron

A lot like us holding life together

Outwardly flaking away with time’s oxidation

Held together through times of storm

Standing proud in the strength of youth

There is a lot of history in rust

Secrets left untold in deteriorating minds

Lost forever in hurricanes last blow

Just oxidation on the beach

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

Chernobyl

It was my first visit to Chernobyl since the reactor meltdown years ago. I grew up there as a child; rode the Ferris Wheel and Bumper Cars in the park. My father worked in a one of many factories owned by the government.

As our SUV pulled into the radiation zone, I could see things had changed. The grass was green, the sky was blue, and wild foxes roamed the fields nearby looking for rabbits and field mice. But, there was an eerie sad silence that seemed to wrap its arms around me.

Pulling up to the factory where my father went each day, I could see the jagged glass broken in the windows; the sagging doors were orange with rust. “No one left and no one came on the bare platform.” Hell must be like this I thought; memories of what once was…

Today at d’verse we are doing Prosery, combining poetry into a 144 word prose piece. Sarah gave a line form a poem that must be incorporated into our flash fiction piece. Our line today comes from a poem called Adelstrop by Edward Thomas. It is: “No one left and no one came on the bare platform.” 

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Bing photo from a YouTube clip.

58 Thunderbird

58 Thunderbird rusting in the yard
Grass tall around wide white wall wheels
Front dentures missing
Blind in both dark sunken eyes
Skin fading in the scorching sunlight
One time a masterpiece of its creator
Now wasting away neglected and still

Oh the stories it could tell
300 hp 352 cc engine glass-pack mufflers
Four barrel carburetor drinking gas like a fish
Lovers in bucket seats riding into the sunset
Duel exhausts Chrome Grille Duel headlights
Pulling up to the light looking next door
Challenging them with engine roar and squealing tires
Black marks on pavement ten feet long
Leaving challengers in the dust
This phoenix could rise from the rust
A master’s hands could bring it back
But for now it sits alone and neglected
Destiny yet undetermined

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Today is open link night at d’Verse Poets Pub.  This old Thunderbird has fascinated me for several years. When I drive by, I see it sitting in its owner’s yard rusting away. Today I stopped and took some photos. I wish someone would take it and restore it to its former glory.

join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Reflection

Aging rusts the soul
Life scattered like lights and doors
Falling leaves hide rust

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Autumn Contemplation shows

Nature reclaims everything

Photo: Marc Andrew

Frank Tassone asked us to consider Autumn Contemplation, as we come to the end of this long hot summer. There are many ways autumn makes us stop and think about life. Nature, aging, and the combination of both remind me I am not invincible. When I was young, aging seemed far off, but now I am in the autumn of my life and realize in time I too will be like the car in the photo above. When gone, I will be remembered in bits and pieces, but soon, those too will fall by the wayside and the leaves of time will cover all. I decided to use this great photo again and write from a little different perspective.  I am using it with permission from my nephew, Marc Andrew.

Join us at:  https://frankjtassone.com/2019/08/31/haikai-challenge-102-8-31-19-autumn-contemplation-shuushi-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

Check out my previous post for another perspective!

 

 

Pieces of Life

Age does disturbing things to some minds. Alzheimer’s disease leaves many feeling like their memories are only scattered pieces. Life no longer makes sense, as short-term memory disappears. Stress levels increase and shut down. Confinement can become necessary to protect the person from wandering off or putting themselves in harm’s way. Some still remember the distant past and days of childhood. Happy and traumatic events from the past get repeated over and over again. Questions to visitors are repeated over and over again as well. It is very sad to see a person deteriorate in this way.

Aging rusts the soul
Life scattered like lights and doors
Falling leaves hide rust
*

Photo: Marc Andrew

Rust

Rust eats through the skin

Truck tells stories of the past

Now just an antique

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Rust

Rust

Rust the shedding of superficial cover-ups

Cracking our image in the cauldron of time

Peeling away layers we thought were no more

Revealing vulnerabilities close-up

Weak spots in our picture-perfect shell of reality

Letting the cares of life chip away at our core

Ulcers of paranoid acid eating away at our soul

Possessing our mind convincing us of our mortality

Layer by layer continuing to peel back more

If left unattended will it becomes our horror

From specters of the past already put to rest

But if addressed can be restored

Healing renewal for the future once more

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth