Its not an excuse for inhumanity
God did not make us omnipotent
Nor did He make us judge and jury
Only He commands such authority
Racism, discrimination, hate
Arrogance, intolerance
None have a place in civilized society
Courage to withstand is paramount
Even though they will want us to burn
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Discrimination
By religious objection
Legally sanctioned
Isn’t it time we grew up
And let bygones be bygones
Yet some of us can’t
Gays can be refused service
In Arizona
That is if the law passes
Welcome back to the stone age
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
~
AUTHOR’S NOTE: For those that are interested here is a link to the story that prompted me to write this piece. Arizona is placing a bill in front of the governor for her signature or veto that allows individuals, businesses and religious institutions to deny service or admission, primarily to members of the LGBT community so long as they can show that their discriminatory actions were prompted by their religious convictions. This is disgraceful in my opinion and certainly does not make me proud to live in this state.
More cold than the season could possibly express,
Hangs in the air and the hearts of man.
We speak not of atrocities, we’d rather repress
Waged against others by their brother’s hand.
.
Considering ourselves a civilized sort,
Still in prejudice and intolerance we stand.
Giving no venue for them to retort
In what with affection we call the promised land.
.
This promise so cruel–seems held for the few
While the rest us are left to our own devices
The whip of the wealthy cracks to tame the shrews
While living high amongst their golden vices
.
Inequalities based on race, creed and color exist no matter how we wish them to fade,
Persisting throughout the years, not because we are right, but instead because we are afraid.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Painful
Raping ones identity
Extracting their soul
Just to claim superiority
Unfathomable to the logical mind
Disgusting to those blind to difference
Inclusion makes us grand
Communion makes us stronger
Ending prejudice
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
How joyous the day equality overcame hatred,
Though with sadness I ask, “Why was it even necessary?”
We had not…no we have not moved beyond prejudice!
Replacing one group of brothers and sisters with another does not absolve us!
Oh yes! The faces are different, but the name is the same
And this–we call this progress?
Do not think me ungrateful…I am proud,
Though disheartened by so slim a margin,
Yet this is a triumphant day to be sure.
Still–there is so much softening to be done to the callous heart.
“All men are created equal” so proudly declared by so many
Is still, but a dream should you not fit their mould of convention.
Speaking as though preference of the heart is chosen
Shows their narrowness of mind.
It is not choice, it is ingrained by nature!
It is not a flaw nor is it an abomination,
It is who they are, just as you are how you were born.
That which you do not wish to understand should not draw ire,
But instead your silence…with our profound appreciation.
The time of state sanctioned intolerance is in it’s death throes
Though this alone will not change those ignorant of mind.
Yes, this battle will rage on,
For many, long after they are gone,
But know dear friends that bigotry and hate can not prevail
In the presence of humanity and love.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Authors note: I had been debating whether to write this poem firstly, because I am not a member of the LGBT community and secondly, because I don’t pretend to speak for or have any first hand knowledge of what they have gone through, but then I thought why not, we are all human beings, we all came into this world in the same way and we will all leave it the same way. I have been an observer of this struggle for equality for a very long time and quite frankly found it disgusting that it ever existed in the first place. To add to the distastefulness is the fact that public polling, for the longest time, showed that more than 50% of those polled were in favor of continuing state sanctioned discrimination. In America, we struggled for our freedom from oppression and proudly proclaim in our Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal” and yet this freedom from oppression and equality only held true if you were a God fearing heterosexual apparently. This ideal was an absolute disgrace. So long as the parties are adults, what right does any human being have to prevent another human being from marrying the one that they truly love? Religious institutions may choose not to marry same sex couples before their altars, but they surely have no standing to prevent them before the law. Of course this is simply one man’s opinion, but I stand behind it wholeheartedly. Congratulations to all of you, it has been a very long time coming and you justly deserve this landmark win.
You look on appalled and concerned
Just as I look at you.
Maybe he’s out for walk,
Bird watching,
Enjoying the sun or the weather.
Oh no, that can not be,
We haven’t seen him before!
Where did he come from?
Where is he going?
He must be up to no good.
Casing the joint,
Looking to rob us,
Rape our women,
Set fire to our homes,
Surely he must be a criminal,
He does not belong here!
But why incredulous?
He doesn’t look like us,
His type doesn’t live in this neighborhood.
He’s the wrong color,
Certainly he must be muslim
Or gay,
Or dealing drugs to our kids
And hates this country.
This is the twenty-first century,
Haven’t we moved beyond our prejudice?
Shamefully…
No!
Hateful glances say no,
Joblessness says no,
Homelessness says no,
Hearts and minds say no,
Ignorance still exists,
The year,
The decade,
The century matters not.
In correctness some bite their tongues,
But their medieval minds dictate.
Thoughts expressed through actions,
Conversations held in the shadows,
The like-minded nodding in approval.
So little have we progressed,
Claims of enlightenment ring hollow.
Baseless assumptions poisoning us,
Fear used as justification,
Repetition brainwashing the ignorant.
When will it end,
This perpetuation of hate,
Cloaked as patriotism, religion,
Our constitutional right?
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Image Credit: seiu.org
Equal is equal
Only when convenient
Discrimination
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
This incessant fighting,
Selective equality,
Blatant discrimination,
Is this what America is about?
~
Answer!, Those of you waving the constitution in our faces!
You cannot pick and choose when to hold it in high esteem,
You cannot pick and choose when and what to disregard.
~
You say marriage equality is evil,
You say you are defending the children,
It will destroy conventional marriage,
Destroy the family.
~
Nay I say!
The demise of the two parent family occurred long ago,
Half consumed by the flames of divorce.
I ask you, is not love of greater importance?
~
Gay my friends, is not a disease,
It is not contagious,
It is not some choice made on a whim,
It is not a choice at all, but determined at birth.
~
You heathens hide behind your religion,
You hide behind the robes of your God
So that you can carry on your campaign of bigotry feeling justified,
Distorting the word you so deeply cherish
To the detriment of your fellow man.
~
Oh, but how funny it is!
How opinions change when they enter your life,
When they are your sons and daughters,
When they are your friends or next of kin.
Suddenly the world seems so much clearer
And that which you have taken exception to seems to disappear.
~
Raise your voices dear friends!
Stand with your brothers and sisters,
Stand with your sons and daughters,
Stand with those having little voice.
We must be one if we are to be a great nation,
United…Equal…and Free!
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
A new day…another poll.
Do they like us more today than yesterday
This referendum on hate and bigotry is sickening
We are not new,
We have always been here.
Hiding in the shadows for fear of retribution.
Frequently the target of slings and arrows
Thrown by our brothers and sisters.
Sadly, sometimes they hit the mark.
Why such animosity?
We breath the same air you do,
Drink the same water,
Eat the same food.
We are born of the sacred vessel like you
And we die alone as you do.
We love like you do,
We long to be loved like you do.
We are children of God like you.
You know us though you may not know it.
We are your sons and daughters,
We are your friends and acquaintances,
We are the person you pass on the street,
We are the teacher in your schools,
We are the soldier fighting for your freedom,
We are fireman and policeman,
We are the teller at your ban,
We are the checkout clerk at your convenience store,
We are parents,
We want to be parents,
We were born this way,
Though you think it a choice.
We are gay not broken,
We are not something you need to fix.
We are all created equal,
Wasn’t that the promise made to all of us
Not just to you?
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
* I wrote this piece because I am tired of the endless polls regarding American’s attitudes toward gay marriage. We seem to have this morbid fascination with the LGBT community to the point that many of us are willing to discriminate against them just to keep them from marrying. In my opinion, not only is this absurd, but it is also unconstitutional and should never have been an issue in the first place. I personally have family members who are gay and I have neither treated them nor looked upon them any differently than anyone else because of their sexual orientation. I have never felt threatened by them, nor have they ever been a threat to the children in our family. They are terrific people. Folks, you don’t chose to be gay, you are born that way. Isn’t it time we get over our homophobia and extend the rights to them as citizens that they are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and put an end to this nonsense.
Burqa, Dashiki, headscarf, turban,
Clothing nor traditions should fear instill.
Forgetting we are children of the melting pot,
Sprawling roots of Sicily, Belfast, Juarez, Berlin,
Many smaller port-of-call,
Spat on by bigots,
Held in contempt.
Amnesia plagued memory lost their father’s land,
Nothing has been learned o’er these many years,
Only the quarry has changed,
The slurs, the stares, the vindictive wit,
Disparate but analogous,
Yet none-the-less degrading.
Unwelcoming the huddled masses with open arms,
Seeing terror in every foreign face,
Like fools believing the rhetoric,
Stereotyping and profiling,
Demonizing difference.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 