Unconditional
The love shown by man’s best friend
It’s interesting
Maybe we could learn something
From our four-legged partners
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Tag Archives: compassion
Our Past Watches
Our past watches modernity from the grave.
Sprawling fields of monument and headstone
Honor these souls that ventured on before us.
What must they think of this world as they look on,
Our never ending roadways,
Towering buildings of glass and steel,
Automobiles supplanting horse and carriage,
Our lack of respect for water, air and life,
Politics more polarizing than any in history,
Unquenchable greed marring its noble past?
Perhaps they are relieved to be in a better place,
Sleeping peacefully under a blanket of white,
Winter’s cold and man’s ignorance
No longer gnawing at their weary bones.
As we pass by should we not think of them,
Consider how far we have traveled,
How far behind we have fallen,
What we have lost,
What we have surrendered in frustration.
If we are to regain our souls,
Our greatness and our compassion,
Reversing this slide into oblivion,
These fields likely hold the key
Under their peaceful blanket of white.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Tell Me A Story (Tanka)
Tell me a story
One with love and compassion
My greatest longing
To brighten this dark world
Is this too much to ask for
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Give From A Full Heart (Senryu)
Give from a full heart
As if life depends on it
Because it just might
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Circle, Circle, Circle Down
Circle, circle, circle down
Until he lands upon the ground
Landing softly, though graceful not
Tossing and turning in his resting spot
Mesmerized am I at this sacred show
By this tiny creature in final throes
Years gone by I’d have taken its life
Believing it kind to end his strife
Was this really ever my place at all
To live or die was never my call
On the Divine life and death does rest
Deferring to Him is surely best
Now I just sit and watch amazed
As his spirit enters its final phase
Never interfering or imposing my will
I watch as his little body grows quietly still
This tiny bee is no less than man
I’m certain it’s true in the Creator’s plan
So I’ll bid farewell for now my friend
Until someday we meet again
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
This Walk Amongst The Dead
This walk amongst the dead.
This dance with mortality.
Partnered with those that believe they will live forever.
Gathering, greedily hoarding every last cent
They race to the pinnacle of their professions
At the expense of those they deem competition,
Trampling anyone who gets in their way.
Fattened as the calf bank accounts swell as do their bellies.
Designer clothes and jewelry adorn their swollen vessels.
No thought do they give to the rest of humanity;
Their fellow man is but an impedance to future success.
They have no time for them,
No time for their mates nor their children,
No time for their brothers and sisters that share this earth.
What is their endgame?
When is enough, enough?
They don’t realize that they are already dead,
Dead to the world, their mates and their children.
Paupers as they were at birth
With their final blink there will be no wealth,
No grand houses,
No designer clothes,
No jewelry;
No one will weep on their pine box.
When the last shovel-full of dirt is thrown on their grave
They will be utterly alone, naked and penniless
–Before their Maker.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
The Ghost Killer
The ghostly killer
Whose silent voyage complete
Rests within our shores
The price paid for our freedom
The cost of humanity
Testing fortitude
Will we practice what we preach
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Wouldst Thou Love Me Were I A Peasant (Sonnet)
Wouldst thou love me were I a peasant,
Owning little but what hangs upon my back.
I thinkest thou would not find this so pleasant,
Discarding me for all of this world that I lack.
Wouldst thou speaketh to me were I a leper,
Or ignore me whilst turning a blind eye.
I thinkest thou would prefer me fettered,
In shackles where none could see me cry.
Wouldst thou hold me if I were a poor wretch dying,
Alone and filthy on thy city thoroughfare.
I thinkest thou would leaveth me bloody and lying,
‘Til the ravens come to taketh their share.
Is compassion so hard for thee to perceive, casting feeling aside with nary a care.
Giveth from the heart and thou shalt conceive, a life full of blessing worthy to share.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Do Unto Others (Tanka)
Do unto others
As you wish be done to you
Simple and timeless
What’s so hard to understand
Love one another!
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Scorched Earth, Tragic End (Tanka)
Scorched earth, tragic end
Dignity strewn far and wide
–No rest for the dead
Stranded in frozen boxcars
Awaiting man’s compassion
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 