Pearls in the nighttime sky,
Surely they must be the light of angels.
Visible to the mortal eye,
Things of myth and divine fables.
Twinkling hope from up above,
Promising man a life here after.
Quieting the mind and heart with love,
Giving joy with bouts of laughter.
Adhara, Nashira, Mira, Alcyone,
Shining from the heavens beyond.
Watching, protecting ‘til time on earth is done,
Guiding their charges to the calm.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
So much seems misguided in this world
Though perhaps it is me that is misguided, I do not know.
Is it wrong to expect more from us as a people,
To give with an open heart,
To love without consideration of race, creed or color?
Touting the sacredness of our religions,
Our freedom to worship as we please,
We are stifled,
Narrow of mind,
Driven to discriminate in the name of our God.
We preach against other free peoples,
Demanding their conformity to our world view,
Threatening hellish consequences for disobedience.
This is not freedom–
Shackled by our religions, it is we are enslaved!
Find one among us that is not simply trying to survive,
Doing the best they can in these uncertain times.
Does your Holier-Than-Thou attitude raise you above them?
Does belittling your brothers and sisters bring you closer to God?
Does freedom and equality apply to only those with whom you are in consensus?
It does not you hypocrites;
Your religion is distorted and not of God!
You are not ordained to be judge and jury
Carrying out sentence on your brethren!
Take heed of your own shortcomings,
As I am certain there are many
And this world shall be a better place.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Whether from space or terra firma I feel minuscule;
A pawn in some cosmic game in which I am an illegitimate player.
Who is this phantom puppet master pulling my strings?
I haven’t a scintilla of an idea…
I never have–
Though I’ve never ceased wondering.
All this palaver of an omnipotent Being perplexes me.
Where is He,
Who is He,
I have not a clue.
I’ve spent my entire life grazing on the spiritual texts,
Looking for answers to the eternal question.
I suppose that it has not been all for naught however,
As I have become inure to many of the horrors of this world because of them.
Even so the questions come in waves
Like brontides they shake me to my very core.
Unnerving and unsettling are they.
As another day closes with nary an answer
I suppose I shall sit in my darkened room;
Pondering the meaning of life
While I am bathed in the fragrance of fresh cut chrysanthemums
And enjoy a relaxing spot of tea.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
~
Prompt: Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #14
~
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #14
What does Heaven know of my dreams?
Maybe nothing, maybe everything,
In its silence I believe lies wisdom and strength.
Our mortal senses confuse that which is beyond physical,
Trusting nothing which we can not see.
This betrays the spirit of man.
Something far bigger than myself is my guide,
Calling me to greatness when I’m willing to listen.
In the quiet of meditation I can hear the inner voice,
Mine or God’s I do not know;
Perhaps we are one and the same.
I pray this will be revealed when I return to my origin,
The being of spirit that I was before my mortal birth.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
We see the light ahead through splintered shores,
At once familiar and comforting is now gone.
Man labors with back and hand in attempt to restore
All that growing up we cherished most fond.
This eternal fight we fight against nature’s mother
Seldom permits us a chance to win.
An emboldened adversary unlike any other,
One we’ve struggled against since time began.
Still we battle her in the most reckless of ways
Settling on shores in storm fronts path.
Destruction and death like the end-of-days;
Consequences suffered by the masters wrath.
As time passes–in weakness we forget
Under crystal skies and the calming blue sea.
Rebuilding what was lost without worry or regret,
Ignoring natures warnings by choosing not to flee.
As history has proven this will happen again,
Crushing what we make like a house of cards.
Then just like before we will struggle and mend,
Sweeping away the timber and shards.
What do we expect when we challenge the Almighty
By rebuking the call to heed his demands.
Instead doing what we please–never contritely,
Choosing to suffer rather than follow his commands.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Prostate on the fetid jungle floor,
Draped in the red and orange ornamental cotton robes of a monk
He lay mesmerized by the tablets shambolic scribble.
What could this possibly mean?
Hands shaking as he held the tablet, deep down he knew.
Though menacing, with his henna facial markings,
He had an uneasy feeling that he could not diffuse.
Fraught with fear, he reached for his decanter of Holy Water,
Thinking he could protect himself from this Pagan curse..
Chanting, the lowly monk prayed that the grace of his God would save him,
But alas, the synthesis of prayer and paraphernalia could not shield his mortal soul.
Gasping his last breath and with devotion still in his failing heart
The lowly monk rose with tablet raised overhead and struck,
Shattering the curse over a rock that lay before him,
Praying that the tablets curse with him would die
Never to plague mankind again.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
~
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #11
Tell me you are not moved,
Tell me the innocence does not stir your soul.
The joy in their youthful faces,
The way their eyes smile before the camera.
Tell me you don’t weep for the parents,
Tell me you don’t shed a tear for their tears,
The lose and the pain,
The feelings of helplessness.
Tell me this tragedy is justified,
Tell me this crime is ordained by God,
The cowards hiding behind religion,
The animals stealing the innocent for profit.
Tell me, why did the outrage take so long,
Tell me what the world is waiting for,
The children to fade from memory,
The guiltless to die.
Tell me they will be brought home safely,
Tell me they won’t remember the horror,
The torture of separation,
The terror of being alone.
Tell me this will not happen again,
Tell me that education is not a crime,
The girls are our future,
The criminals will be brought to justice.
Tell me…
Tell me if you can.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
On the breath of the hideous beast,
The musk of man most surely seeped through.
To him her throat was like an elaborate feast,
As his clawed hands wound, her fear grew.
~
Her hair a mix of auburn tangle and knot,
From chase through thicket sharp and deep.
The witches coven in a diabolical plot,
Souls unsuspecting they hoped to reap.
~
This fairest maiden, a nymph to be sure,
Was sacrificed to Hell on Albatross wing.
As Satan’s minion fulfills their lore,
Discordant the coven dances and sings.
~
Then the unlikeliest of heroes appeared,
A mendicant cloaked in camels hair robe.
Wielding a sword Templar cross in it was seared,
Though the Templars had vanished long ago I was told.
~
Under Mother Ursa Minor, Polaris brightly shining,
The fleet-footed beggar struck a single fatal blow.
Striking the beast’s skull tangerine sparks blinding,
Sending him to Hell whence he came down below.
~
Lowering his hood the beggar glowed unearthly white,
This man was not a man as we assumed.
Pointing his sword up to Heaven and the night,
He disappeared banishing the coven to the gloom.
~
The beggar–an angel sent from Almighty I suppose,
Will the wonders from above never cease.
Sent to save us all from God’s worst demonic foes,
Guiding us into eternal peace.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
~
At this Holy time
Many go through the motions
For eggs and candy
A bizarre celebration
Forgetting His death and rise
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
To those gone without a trace,
What were your last thoughts?
What did you see?
What did you here?
To the Atheists, did you find God?
To the Christians, did you ask Christ to save you?
To the Muslims, did Allah forgive you your sins?
This is not an indictment,
I would asked for all of this and so much more.
Did you feel abandoned?
Did your life flash before your eyes?
Did you see the faces of loved ones?
Did you hear the laughter of your children?
Surely I would have felt all of these things.
These questions bring me to tears.
I don’t know what I would think as I sat helpless,
And in the end would it really matter
In the face of impending doom?
These answers float on the wind,
And drift with the changing tides,
In places without names, undiscovered.
Know that wherever you are,
We think about you,
Hoping that your final rest is in peace.
Lost at sea.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 