Peeling back the layers
Like an onion of marble, brick, wood,
Concrete, steel and plaster.
What lies beneath this man-made skeleton?
Flesh, blood, bone,
Hopes, dreams, promise,
Failure, disappointment, longing,
Pain, suffering and sorrow,
Wrapped in the package human.
Wealth nor status makes one immune.
Life infects rich and poor alike,
Birth and death spare no one,
Entering into their pact with nothing
And fulfilling the contract with no reward.
These truths are guaranteed
Despite a desire to bury them in denial, religion or alcohol.
Make what you will of your life
Ignore those that cry to you with outstretched hands,
Divert your eyes from malnourishment,
Turn your back on humanities fallen,
Do this and more without conscience
As a soulless miscreant is bound to do.
This is your choice.
Or join this race we all run…offering,
Time, money, love,
Compassion, sympathy, understanding,
A helping hand, encouragement,
As much or as little as you have,
This is what it means to be human,
To be in communion,
Asking nothing in return.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 
I like this. I have my reasons. I’ll spare you those. This could turn into a long, drawn out philosophical debate (and I’ve homework to do). Not that I wouldn’t mind the dialogue. This is a great piece, Dom!
Thank you Sahm, I could have gone on and on with this one, but then it might have gotten offensive and we wouldn’t want to do that now would we. :)
Whaaat??? Why not? :/ I would have. :( Reblogging! Thanks Dom!
Thank you Sahm, I really appreciated that you liked the piece enough to reblog it. Maybe the next time I will be offensive…just for fun. :)
May I reblog this?
You certainly may, I would be honored.
Reblogged this on The Arkside of Thought by Sahm King and commented:
This should be read, and then read again, and then read again.
I say carry on Dom, you can’t offend those who truly adore .
It might have become offensive if you’d continued – that’s intriguing Dom! As it is its excellent.
Thank you very much, there just is so much more I could say on these topics that someone would be bound to get offended. :)
Beautiful verses and true in many ways. However I disagree in one point, for me religion is a driving force for compassion, without it I had no hope for the future. I’d become a self-absorbed depressive
Thank you very much. When it comes to religion, the only issue I take with it is in cases where an individual considers themselves devout and then they don’t practice what they preach. I’ve had this happen to me, as I’m sure has happened to many other people and I find it so hypocritical. This being said, it has also helped a great many people and for that I am thankful. Thank you again for commenting.
You are right, hypocrisy is always a danger for a Christian, being judgmental is so easy and the splinter in the eye of the neighbor is so much easier to see than …. you know
Hypocrisy is dangerous as you say. Man being the flawed creature that he is twists what are a religions of peace and love into discriminatory and judgmental abominations (at times). I am not implying that all Christians, Muslims, Jews, or any number of other religion’s congregants fall into this category by any means, but it does happen far too frequently.
Wow, this is a knock out piece of writing Dom. Thank you.
Thank you very much. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart and I find that it gets more so the older that I get.
I can relate well to tht!
Thank you I’m glad. :)
a powerful piece – insightful – hits many chords of emotion
Thank you Paul, I appreciate that. This piece meant a great deal to me and I’m glad that people liked it.
Dom, we are probably long lost cousins, if your family hails from Sicily; Gratteri specifically. Many spellings of the name DiFrancesca (DeFrancesca, DiFrancesco etc.) I appreciate your poem and the long look you give to all the things precariously balanced in life. I especially appreciate your framing the pure intention of giving, asking nothing in return. Beauty, beauty everywhere.
We may be although unfortunately I don’t know specifically which town we originally hailed from. My great grandparents came here from Sicily and although I was very young it did get to meet my great grandmother before she passed. I will have to do a little research to find the town we came from. Thank you for your nice statements about the poem, I really appreciate it. :)
Reblogged this on Women Who Think Too Much by Jeanne Marie and commented:
Exactly!
Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it. :)
Your welcome. I only reblog what I love…
I love your to the point, raw, honest style.. Reblogged, okay? Jeanne Marie
Oh absolutely, I would be honored. Sorry it took so long to reply.
Thank you, I actually jumped the gun.
I am appreciative…I’m glad you did. :)
Yey!
Thank you. :)