Question of Significance

You see me on the street, but you do not see me.

I am, but a speck of dust caught in the beam of a streetlight.

Insignificant in this grand and glorious scheme,

But not so insignificant to those who cherish me…as I cherish them.

Mother as I to my wife…wife as I to my daughter,

Father as I to my son…all cherish me, as I them.

Miniscule in this tidal pool of humanity as I may be

This robe I wear befits all that breathe this air,

Fed from the heartlands fertile soil,

Pleasure in grain-fed fowl or grass-fed cattle.

In you dear friends, I see a reflection of me in your life-worn faces;

Neither success nor poverty can separate us in our final hours.

You as I shall become equal to the grasses blade,

The acorn and maple leaf, meal worm and maggot

Shall all become our equals as we return to the earth whence we came.

There is no escape from this inescapable truth.

Though you persevere to nullify my worth, you can not;

For my worth lies not in your perceptions,

But in those of they who loved me.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Simpler Life – A Tanka

gandhi

A simpler life

Could any of us live it

Like that of Gandhi

Living in moderation

Among the less fortunate

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

A Mind In Torment – A Tanka

Image Credit: rooseveltcampusnetwork.com

Image Credit: rooseveltcampusnetwork.com

A mind in torment

Severed from reality

Ignored as damaged

An illness to be treated

Not labeled as defective

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Solitary Road – A Haiku

Image Credit: 1ms.net

Image Credit: 1ms.net

Solitary road

We are born and die alone

What is in between

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Dusty Bus Stop Bench – A Tanka

Dusty bus stop bench

Ragged, dirty, unshaven

Traffic racing by

You didn’t speak, just stared

As I offered what I could

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Confusion

Confusion…

Cacophony of sights and sounds

Soupy mixture

A distasteful bombardment

Inescapable…

Every turn a stone wall

Pounding and punishing

Piercing flesh

Drawing blood

Fracturing bone

Draining every last drop of energy

Pushing back

Nothing but resistance

Drenched in sweat

Eyes sting

Bloodshot from strain

Head in hands

Driven to tears

Trapped…

Beaten into submission

Giving up

You win

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Together So Long – A Tanka

Together so long

We speak volumes with silence

Our thoughts meld as one

What a strange phenomenon

This marriage of two mimes

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

White Noise

Waking to the rhythmic white noise

Television’s twinkling salt and pepper blur

Foil covered rabbit ears like periscopes

Reflect his fractured image…almost blinding

It hurts to sit up straight

Back hunched from decades of labor

Crumbs drop like snow from his cardigan

“What did I eat?”, he mumbles on deaf ears

As gnarled and twisted hands

Brush his remnants to the floor

Feed for roaches and rats that call this home

Day and time are of little concern

What does it matter.

Tormented knees crack

Perched unsteadily beneath him

All he can do is shuffle holding on for balance

The refrigerator fights back as he opens it

The dim light only blackens the mouldy fresco

Decorating the walls and shelves.

Spoiled milk curls the nose

“Been around awhile.” he whispered

Paying it no more mind

Warm beer will have to do

The crack of the tab and the “pusssssh”

Join the metronomic shuffle of his stocking feet

Moaning, he sits

Joints aching from medicine he can’t afford

Alcohol will have to do

Each sip provides little relief

Tired of living his eyes grow heavy

Sleep returns…to the rhythmic white noise

And the televisions salt and pepper blur

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Each New Day – A Haiku

Image Credit: masterpiece-beth.com

Image Credit: masterpiece-beth.com

Each new day that dawns

Offers hope to the hopeless

This could be my day

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Cerulean Sky – A Tanka

Cerulean sky

Blackbirds singing in willow

Warm sun on my face

Perfect time for reflection

Under natures pergola

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~