Tag Archives: France

In This Time Of Tragedy, It Does My Heart Good (Sonnet)

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In this time of tragedy, it does my heart good,

To see peoples so diverse as allies.

Evil’s terror brings unity, just as it should,

With “Je suis Charlie” their defiant battle cry.

 

How must it have felt staring fate in the face

When our wrath brought their final curtain call.

Surely their God, will not bring them to grace

Instead down to Hell they must fall.

 

What God could condone their horrible acts,

Murdering innocents over Charlie’s cartoon.

Under guise of offense, an excuse for attacks,

Their cause becomes fodder for lampoon.

 

So pray on this day and stand steadfast as one, for us all they cannot defeat.

To live by the gun is to die by the gun, let us hope this will never repeat.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Coward Strike Again

Cowards strike again
Hiding behind masks like rats
With rain of bullets
Free speech has offended them
The verdict…a death sentence
Stand up, show your face
Take responsibility
This is your moment
We know this isn’t to be
For your cause is but thin air

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Moulin Rouge

Ladies and Gent at the finest affair,

Linked arm-in-arm with noses in the air.

Paying no mind to the commoner on the street,

Entering the great hall they prepare for a treat.

A show for the ages with music and dance,

They surely wouldn’t miss it given the chance.

Seductive young ladies kicking legs in the air,

Dancing the can-can with nary a care.

The Gents take to whistling, they hoot and they holler,

While the ladies most appalled grab their men by the collars.

Such a circus is this with no animals or tent,

They must on this Sunday go to church and repent.

For now though they’re free to do as they please,

Revelling in the lust of the show as they tease.

Enjoying their sins amongst cigar smoke and booze,

Welcome Ladies and Gents to the Moulin Rouge.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Prompt: Jeremy’s Daily Challenge – Picture This Monday 15 September

At the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

At the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Pedaling Madly

Pedaling madly

Skating on rain-soaked pavement

Cobblestone death trap

\

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Authors Note: This haiku is in honor of today’s stage of the Tour de France, stage 5 in the very rainy north of France.  Defending champion Chris Froome pulled out of the race after falling twice on the rain slicked roads today after falling once before in a previous stage.

You can get the idea of how dangerous this stage was from this slideshow from the official Tour de France 2014 website.

On This Somber Day

On this somber day

Where allied blood once ran free;

I am reflective.

Wondering…what it was like

Staring down death and bullet.

Alone, but not so,

Brothers shoulder to shoulder

On that distant shore.

Seventy years on it lives

In those few that still remain.

You can see their pride,

You can see their welling tears

As if yesterday.

Thinking about friends they’d lost

As the price for our freedom.

Remember their dead.

Many scarcely got to live;

Few had said goodbye,

None had regretted the cause

That changed world history.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Farewell Knights Templar

Image Credit: wunderground.com

Image Credit: wunderground.com

The blood curdling scream from the dungeon below,

Made John pray to God for the hangman’s gallows.

This soldier of God stripped of vestments so pure,

Now nameless and faceless a test he was sure.

~

I’ve done what was asked by king, country and Pope

In exchange for a promise to Heaven elope.

If I fall in battle to those savages in the east,

To sling, bow and arrow or some other horrid beast.

~

Instead I’m betrayed by the kinsman I protect;

By cowards and fools those insignificant specks.,

Hiding behind crown whilst I lay on this rack,

Fingers and toes broke while they flail on my back.

~

These charges of heresy are baseless and false,

I’ll deny to my death, to my last beating pulse.

Phillip IV King of motherland France,

Cooked up this scheme devious to embolden his stance.

~

Our riches and land to be his at all costs,

No matter the lives of the Templar that are lost.

Castle and fortress captured by the crown,

Confiscated before Pope Clement could resound.

~

This murderous thief will be judged before God,

Without royal finements, naked and unshod.

Surely he’ll be banished to Hades for his crimes,

Whilst I’ll be looking down on his torment for all times.

~

Justice will be served though draw and quarter is my fate,

I long for the Lord at Saint Peter’s pearly gate.

For the righteous will receive promised Heaven’s just due,

Whilst river of fire awaits souls of evil to be threw.

~

Soon my dear comrades in paradise I will join,

Those of you who’ve gone before by the heathen on the coin.

We’ll reap our sweet vengeance on this coward of the throne,

He’ll burn in Hell, consumed by fire, for eternity alone.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~