I Never Really Knew Her

My breath floated silently toward Heaven.

I watched as it disappeared

Blending seamlessly with the cloud filled sky.

With upturned collar

I stood with loved ones feeling completely alone;

Such a strange feeling this is.

I had known her for almost fifty years,

But suddenly came to realize…

I scarcely knew her at all.

Self-absorbed with my life, my own family,

Thinking she would always be there

I never thought to ask who she was,

What her life was like,

Even where she born;

It just never occurred to me to ask

And never came up in conversation.

My picture of her had always been the same,

White hair, as white as newly fallen snow,

Her cheek, soft and smooth to the kiss,

Kind and joyful, yet quiet as a mouse;

Always taking a backseat to the love of her life.

Sadly, her time has now passed

Taking with it the story that was her.

I am left to gather up snippets,

Like those tossed on the cutting room floor

Selectively shared second hand.

My chance has passed to hear her story

In the truth that can only come from living it.

No fault can be placed, but on me

So on me alone the fault must lie.

By divine retribution, I stand here,

In the icy chill of winter to bid farewell

To one I loved dearly,

More dearly than she would ever know

And with profound sadness I’ve come to realize

…That I never really knew her at all.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

We See The Light Ahead

We see the light ahead through splintered shores,

At once familiar and comforting is now gone.

Man labors with back and hand in attempt to restore

All that growing up we cherished most fond.

This eternal fight we fight against nature’s mother

Seldom permits us a chance to win.

An emboldened adversary unlike any other,

One we’ve struggled against since time began.

Still we battle her in the most reckless of ways

Settling on shores in storm fronts path.

Destruction and death like the end-of-days;

Consequences suffered by the masters wrath.

As time passes–in weakness we forget

Under crystal skies and the calming blue sea.

Rebuilding what was lost without worry or regret,

Ignoring natures warnings by choosing not to flee.

As history has proven this will happen again,

Crushing what we make like a house of cards.

Then just like before we will struggle and mend,

Sweeping away the timber and shards.

What do we expect when we challenge the Almighty

By rebuking the call to heed his demands.

Instead doing what we please–never contritely,

Choosing to suffer rather than follow his commands.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

No One Left Behind (Tanka)

No one left behind
The motto of a nation
Turned political
We must bring our loved ones home
Not sacrifice them as pawns
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

The Curse

Prostate on the fetid jungle floor,

Draped in the red and orange ornamental cotton robes of a monk

He lay mesmerized by the tablets shambolic scribble.

What could this possibly mean?

Hands shaking as he held the tablet, deep down he knew.

Though menacing, with his henna facial markings,

He had an uneasy feeling that he could not diffuse.

Fraught with fear, he reached for his decanter of Holy Water,

Thinking he could protect himself from this Pagan curse..

Chanting, the lowly monk prayed that the grace of his God would save him,

But alas, the synthesis of prayer and paraphernalia could not shield his mortal soul.

Gasping his last breath and with devotion still in his failing heart

The lowly monk rose with tablet raised overhead and struck,

Shattering the curse over a rock that lay before him,

Praying that the tablets curse with him would die

Never to plague mankind again.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

~

Mindlovemisery's Menagerie - Wordle #11

Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #11

Prompt: Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #11

I Am Like Water (Tanka)

I am like water

Soft and pliable yet strong

Moving with the tide

Always going with its flow

Until I meet destiny

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

THE HOPETELLER IS NOW AVAILABLE!

The latest creation by the very talented storyteller Charles Yallowitz, why not give it a read, you won’t be sorry.

Charles Yallowitz's avatarLegends of Windemere

The Hopeteller (Cover by Tracy Carrig) The Hopeteller (Cover by Tracy Carrig)

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE FOR $1.25!

Book Blurb:

Humanity has been driven into the wilderness by the ‘Invaders’. They have been forced to live as colonies in the wilderness where survival is a daily struggle. Hope becomes harder and harder to hold onto as the years pass.

Then one day, a young man tells a story to an injured friend and the Hopeteller is born. Unsure of the power of his words, he finds himself moving the colony with his fairy tales. He will see his people through death and fear as they continue to fight for survival.

Enjoy this novella that is half post-apocalyptic journal and half fairy tales.

Perfect for a quick & entertaining read!

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A Bell Doth Toll In Distant Tower

A bell doth toll in distant tower.

From my prison balcony

The smell of figs,

Sweet and fragrant waketh me from my trance.

Much prefered to the odor of irony rot oozing from beneath thy ligatures

That holdeth me captive.

Thy constant seeping maketh me nauseous.

O’ how I long to draw my dagger from its leathery sheath;

To feel thy pressure as I spiral into peaceful eternal sleep.

To taste the honey of death woulds’t be such relief,

For this living art not emulous of life.

I blush to think that this is how my end shalt come,

At the hands of thy cowards and fools.

Yet destiny hath no master

And I, but a pawn shalt be sacrificed

For thine greater good.

I committeth my soul into thine hands;

With the hope that thou mayest sleep at night

Knowing the wrong thou hast done,

–I bid thee farewell.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Mindlovemisery's Menagerie -Wordle #10

Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie -Wordle #10

 

Prompt: Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #10

Although They’re Older

Although they’re older

Children still seek approval

It’s human nature

Do not be too judgemental

Or you will push them away

What a tragedy

And a travesty this is

To our flesh and blood

These are wounds that do not heal

Because we need to be right

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Yet Another Name

Yet another name

Etched in the blackest granite

Written with their blood

We are called to remember

Each and every spring–in May

Recognizing them

Honoring their families

Their sacrifices

A debt we can not repay

Except with our hearts and minds

Thank you

.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

How Intricate The Knots

How intricate the knots,

The thread so delicate,

I scarcely ever noticed before.

How often had I torn them down

Treating them as a nuisance.

Perhaps out of ignorance,

Perhaps out of misplaced fear,

Picturing a threat where one did not exist.

Without prompt I stopped in my tracks,

Marvelling at this masterpiece

Spun from the lowly spider.

Her web so unlike the tangles of man,

Perfect and symmetrical,

Designed with a divine purpose.

Not to deceive…nay,

But to live and to feed

As the Creator intended.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~