Ravages Of Time

Ravages of time

I see it in the mirror

Wrinkled, grey and thin

Underneath it all I’m young

Still childlike in my mind

This shell is just that–

A shell, weather-worn with age

To be discarded

But this is not the real me

Only a facade that I show the world

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Caligula Though Tyrant He Be

Caligula though tyrant he be, is not so unlike my chaotic mind,

Burned to the ground like Nero’s Rome, a cure oh so difficult to find.

Cries to the almighty gods, heaven sent go unanswered,

Eating at my senses and sanity like a cancer.

Why is it that the clarity of thought so often goes awry

When focus eludes me no matter how I try.

Is this a curse–a symptom of a troubled body and soul,

I know not, still it leaves me feeling less than whole.

Most fortunate to me is that it never long lasts,

A matter of hours or days is all it takes to pass.

Yet this is of no less a concern and satisfies me little,

Stunting my spirit like knife to wood wittle.

Alone I am not of this I am certain,

As this diatribe ends and I bring down the curtain.

Praying that soon this too will vanish,

Returning to me clarity from whence it was banished.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Awakening

Awakening to the first rays of day

Filtered through muddled panes;

Thankful for each cherished breath,

The perfection of the day,

My wife, children, friends, acquaintances,

Those whom I have not yet met,

Perfect in just their existence.

This happiness is born deep within;

It can not be projected on one by another

Nor given as one would tender a gift.

This joy must live of it’s own volition,

In unison with the body temple,

Expelling that which festers melancholy.

Would anyone not choose happiness over misery,

Relaxation over stress, Peace over violence,

Love over hate…I think not.

This ability lies within each of us,

Active or in hibernation;

Only a nudge is necessary to awaken it

Often we bury it under rubble;

Forged from the drama surrounding us.

Though unavoidable,

It must not be permitted to loiter.

Rather it must be cast out as a leper,

Burned at the stake,

Sacrificed to the gods,

Guaranteeing the health of our mind,

Our body

And our spirit.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Past, Present, Future

What a weighty beast this animal regret,

Overshadowing the contemporary with antiquity,

For what purpose but to depress.

This concept of past, present, future inequity.

Each fleeting second paints our past,

Never ending, unavoidable, unchangeable

Causing distress and unhappiness if permitted.

Future bears no less weight,

Harboring angst in it’s face…unknown.

To what end, fear, hesitance, isolation.

No one can foretell what challenges lay ahead,

Destiny is what it will be,

Beyond mortal knowledge and control.

Remaining is present, here and now.

Over this deviant only, do we have influence,

Choice…free will, holds dominant sway.

Present is ours to sculpt into a masterpiece;

Then, in an unfathomable moment it fades into past

Never to be relived, redone, reconsidered.

Energies expended on present are well spent,

Are obtainable, conceivable, justifiable.

Past and future serve only to bleed us;

Sapping mind, body and spirit.

Let present feed the future

And bury the past.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~