Scars, fresh raised and red
Born of stainless razors edge
Bleed…to make me feel
Numb, I do not understand
What flawed design produced me
Sleeves long– Hide the shame
Attempts for naught this hollow fill
Am I all alone
Left to cut and poke and prod
To wake up the walking dead
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Time nurtures wisdom
In the face of angry barbs
As youth yields to age
Imparting knowledge with years
In place of impulsiveness
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Walking away,
Withdrawing into my conscience as my conscience dictates.
~
This water-cooler talk, here say, utter nonsense,
Tearing down the fabric that binds us;
Serving agendas of personal gain or revenge
Humiliation or mistrust.
What purpose does this serve?
Certainly none to better our kind.
~
I neither want nor take any part in these juvenile games,
As I have been victim myself on more than one occasion.
Few can pronounce they have not I propose.
~
Harken back to the embarrassment, the anger, the trauma;
Was this pleasurable—most surely it wasn’t.
What pleasure can be derived by such caterwauling?
None I submit, but momentary satisfaction
followed by regret and sorrow if your heart yet beats.
~
Would not your energies better serve kindness and generosity
than the degradation of our comrades?
~
Would it not be better to think before we speak?
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Blasphemous lies spewed
Like daggers thrust, filleting us
Cowardice revealed as your forte’
I knew you not as well as I thought
Your blackened heart splayed
Expelling hatred, thick and vile
Engulfing what once I treasured
Swallowing it whole
With nary a trace to be had
Why? Is the question
For I know not what baited this provocation
Friendship at length counts for naught
Preferring to wrench away
Every miniscule crumb of what bound us
With sorrow I begged explanation
But none was offered
Receiving only silence in response
With sadness I must bid adieu
Wishing you only the best
I harbor no ill will
Hoping one day for reconciliation
Until then my friend
Farewell
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Harshness of anger
Curdles the virtues of the soul
Souring logic and compassion
Verbal hate lobbed in revenge
Proves unsatisfying, wielding regret
A levy of silence better culled
Foregoing acrimony
In favor of diplomacy
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Image Credit: theendlessfurther.com
Blame is left for fools
Leaving us bitter and poor
And none the wiser
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Image Credit: guardian.co.uk
Berated by kin
Castigated by strangers
Who turn a deaf ear
Criticizing without facts
Now who’s the ignorant one
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Often said,
Seldom meant.
A hair trigger response,
Blanketing indiscretions small and large,
Nearly meaningless,
Just another five letter word,
‘Til trapped in your web of lies.
Only then is it given weight,
Not because you mean it,
But because you’ve been caught!
…Sorry.
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
By D. R. DiFrancesco
~~~~~~
Secrets clutched tightly to our breast
Scared to show vulnerability
Hiding those things which make us cry, make us bleed
From a world we don’t think could understand.
~~
Are we untrue to ourselves
The lies we hide deep within our hearts
Beat rhythmically to escape the fleshy prison
Only to be pushed back into the darkest recesses of our souls.
~~
No one is immune
Deceitful is he who denies his susceptibility
Who has breathed that has not hidden his weakness
Protection from our humanity.
~~
Our society prides strength
Scoffing at compassion and emotion as if a sign of frailty
This is absurd, yet it resonates loudly among us
So we shelter that which makes us mortal.
~~
Maleness dictates the subjugation of feelings
One cannot be strong and show emotion
So we masquerade them in anger and violence
Unleashing rage through pestilence and war.
~~
Our progeny suffers
Families torn asunder in fits of acrimony
Childhoods left in tatters by pent up defiance
Fallen to the tragedy of shame.
~~
Depression festers, virulent and deadly
A secret best left unmentioned in polite circles
An illness of the mind cannot be real
You are a man, you must act like one.
~~
The imposition of this philosophy is for fools
Harmful and destructive to the mind, body and soul
Anxiety, depression, suicide the unwelcome victor
Do these secrets make you proud.
credit – carroll.edu
By D. R. DiFrancesco
Emotions so fragile,
Pushed to the forefront,
Exposed like raw nerves.
Twisted to fit the mold,
Irrational to the point of ridiculous,
Impossible to live without.
In apathy we stifle them,
Turning cold and hard,
Void of feelings toward the outside world.
In love they are laid bare,
Naked to the beholder,
Shatterable as crystal in the hands of a child.
In anger they are irrational,
Fierce and hateful in their rage,
Destructive as fire when unrestrained.
In joy there is peace,
Freely gifted to those accepting,
Shared willingly without precondition or pretense.
In sadness there is affliction,
Crushing then strengthening our resolve,
Amplifying our vulnerabilities.
Unique in our humanness,
Thriving on more than instinct alone,
Alive in our emotions.
Dom DiFrancesco 