My dearest of friends
Though our paths have never crossed
Call me your brother
Fall into my outstretched arms
I will be there to catch you
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Tag Archives: compassion
Left Out
Image Credit: philosophicalanthropology.net
Left out in the cold
Fingerless gloves beg for change
For food and shelter
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
On Anger
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 ~~
Life on the Off-ramp
Hot summer days,
A/C blasting cold and refreshing,
Music blaring from the car radio,
Cardboard signs,
“Will work for food”,
Litter the freeway off-ramps,
Held by vagrants and transients,
Dirty and broken,
Looking for food,
Looking for a better life,
Hoping to survive another day,
You pass by averting your eyes,
Pretending…no wishing they were not there,
Not because of sadness for their condition,
But out of deep seated embarrassment,
Red faced by lack of action,
Of compassion,
Of sympathy,
Seeing them as less than human,
A drain on society,
Would some spare change put you out,
Not likely,
But then you would have to face reality.
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
I Am
Image credit – optionalpha.com
This imperfect surface
Skin, hair, nails is not me
I am in my head
Emotion, hopes, dreams, ambitions
Wrapped in this disposable package
No bottle can contain what can’t be seen
Cut me and I bleed, red and warm
Still you’ve taken nothing from me
I have not been altered
Love, compassion, disgust
Strong as before, they did not seep from the wound
It may scar, raised and ugly, but I surely will heal
These afflictions are but temporary
Simple setbacks that only strengthen my character
You trip me
The fall leaves me scraped and bruised
Black, blue and painful to the touch
This is not the first time I have fallen
Most certainly I will fall again, this is part of life
Scraps heal and bruises will disappear without a trace
And I will continue on, a better person for the experience
Passion, sadness, tenacity, empathy
These help define the real me to the world
I am not the face you see on the street
I am not the clothes that I wear
I am not what I present to the naked eye
What I am is so much more
Masquerading behind what you observe
Look deeper, discard what you see
Take your time, a surprise awaits you
The treasure I offer is there for the taking
I will show you the real me if you are bold enough to ask
So ask, be bold
You will find that I am emotion, hopes, dreams, ambitions
I am love, compassion, disgust
I am passion, sadness, tenacity, empathy
And I am so much more
Not all that I am is good
I am imperfect in my humanness
Constantly evolving into who I want to be
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Liberality
credit – news.thomasnet.com
By D. R. DiFrancesco
~~~~~~
What is it they say,
With age comes wisdom,
This I hope and pray to be true,
Yet repeatedly this comes into question,
Seeing rigidity replace compassion.
~~~
I’ve become an oddity,
As liberal replaces conservative,
Demonized by those on the right,
If inclusion and compassion are evil,
I am guilty as charged.
~~~
A question, why the word liberal,
What does this mean,
Race, creed, color, do not define,
Not treating those in need as parasites,
When cut do we all not bleed.
~~~
To be liberal is to be human,
Loving our brothers and sisters,
Sexual orientation is not a choice,
Discrimination has consequences,
Do not judge until you have walked in anothers shoes.
~~~
Should this not be called compassionate,
Where is the evil,
You would rely on man’s goodwill to offer up benevolence,
Would you part with your fortune for the sake of another,
I think not, out of sight out of mind.
~~~
You feel robbed…no, cheated,
Reliance on charity alone has foundered,
Those in need are not criminals,
They have not picked your pockets,
Though you cry foul and claim that they have.
~~~
You laugh as we cry,
The spotted owl, the lizard, the toad have no voice of their own,
Clean air, clean water, clean ocean, open land,
Jokes told at meetings on Wall Street,
How sad to be held captive to money.
~~~
Global warming…a lie you proclaim,
As premium flows into your Bentley,
Anti-capitalist scientists must be fudging the data,
Ask those afflicted by Sandy,
Say goodbye to the polar bear.
~~~
You hoard your cash and earthly possessions,
Showing nary a care for your fellow man,
Nary a care for the world you so lackadaisically plunder,
What use is your great wealth to your progeny,
When you have spoiled that which sustains them.
~~~
You call me liberal, un-American, anti-capitalist,
Your opinion means little to me,
If greed and inhumanity are what make me American,
Then I bow out of this club,
I’d rather you thank me for making this a better world in spite of you.
Just Another Day in the Promised Land
Homeless mother and child – csindy.com
By D. R. DiFrancesco
~~~~
Dirty faces streaked with tears,
Revealing the shell of who they were,
In silence they live their greatest fears,
Passing by, you pray they do not stir.
~~
Their homes a box, a shantytown,
No cover from rain, sleet or snow,
Living with luck or fate torn down,
With arrogance you look away from those below.
~~
Sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers,
They too were once like you,
Annoyed you pass, you can’t be bothered,
With these paupers, beggars and shrews.
~~
They did not ask for their station in life,
For many, no fault of their own,
They huddle with daughter, son and wife,
On these sidewalks and alleys alone.
~~
Lift yourself up and make your own way,
With what, is a question to be asked,
Struggling to eat day to day,
There’s no time for their plight to be masked.
~~
A little compassion would go a long way,
Helping pick up our fellow man,
With food and warmth and a safe place to stay,
Simple basics since time began.
~~
So many are one paycheck away,
From the life these nightmares are made of,
In darkness they hope to keep poverty at bay,
Saying prayers to their God in Heaven above.
~~
From that vagrant you see do not dart your eyes,
Instead offer an honest helping hand,
Remember the innocent child who cries,
Dirty, hungry and homeless in this promised land.
A Look In The Miror
Don’t judge me,
You are not God,
Don’t pretend to speak for God,
To know what he thinks, what he wants of me.
Don’t push your religion on me,
The Divine Word of God, written by man,
Interpreted by man,
In a futile attempt to change who I am.
Don’t condemn me,
You aren’t entitled to be my jury,
You are hypocrites and heathens,
Hiding behind your wall of self-righteousness.
Don’t loathe me,
Am I not your brother,
One created in the same image of your God,
Worthy of the love and respect given to those in your circle.
Don’t shun me,
Instead look at your reflection, then take my hand,
Walk with me and comfort my soul,
Are we not the same in the eyes of God?
Emotion
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.
Plight of the Homeless
By D. R. DiFrancesco
Shadow people abound,
Faceless and nameless they inhabit our streets,
Forgotten amongst the urban sound,
Left to stifle in summer’s heat.
Shadow people trapped,
Passed by like trash littering the walkway,
Feeble hands outstretched for scraps,
Passersby strain to look away.
Shadow people lost,
Beaten down by an iron fist,
Society tries to subdue them at any cost,
Acting as though they don’t exist.
Shadow people remain,
Vagrants, homeless, bums, call them what you will,
Put a hand out to ease their strain,
Comfort and humanity and faith instill.
Shadow people no more,
Take them in, in body and soul,
End the battle of class; end the poverty of war,
Lift them up, our brothers and sisters, their urgency behold.
Dom DiFrancesco 