Tag Archives: greed

The Game Is On

The game is on

And we are the pawns.

We make not a single move,

Our kings are locked in their ivory towers

Each trying to outlast the other.

We revel in the spoils, though surely short lived.

Soon we will be crushed,

The trap door beneath us flung open

And we will be flushed into their wells.

The queens they laugh, laugh with a hideous roar,

Their coffers bulging with our blood and sweat.

Opponents from afar, march onward

Caring not the least for us, their enemies innocent.

Yet we do nothing, we do not revolt,

We do not demand better.

Instead these heathens dangle their carrots

And we mindlessly eat from their tainted hands,

Smiling and gulping ravenously.

We consume as though it will never end.

Over and over our mistakes we repeat.

When will we ever learn that…

Big oil and OPEC,

They do not love us.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Sad Is This Season

Sad is this season
That its kindness is fleeting
Gone in the new year
Replaced once again with greed
And loveless human spirit
Quickly we forget
The message of tradition
Tossing it aside
When it no longer serves us
Returning to loathsome ways

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

So Demanding

So demanding, so selfish,

Looking out for “me” and me alone.

Didn’t your mother tell you,

Play nice and share.

When denied–anger rages,

Desires, like flames burn.

When left unchecked

Humanity suffers;

Feeding materialism,

Hunger for power,

Loss of compassion.

There is no peace,

Thirst cannot be quenched,

Enough is never enough

Needing ever more to survive.

Without spirit

The monster is revealed.

Without love and compassion

The host becomes a shell

Succumbing to the alter.

Tyrants and despots

Know this far too well.

Do not fall victim to this knave

For the path can lead to darkness.

You are the master–

Demand subservience

As if your soul depends on it

From the spoiled child,

…Ego.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

It’s Not The Shopping

It’s not the shopping
The shiny black Friday deals
Material wants
Created by corporate greed
For the bloating of coffers
It’s for gratitude
Communion with ones you love
Appreciation
Sadly we tend to forget
With every new commercial

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

In This Gilded Age

In this gilded age

What is old is new again.

Worship of the golden calf

Has supplanted our rights.

Blood shed over these many years

Washed away with the bleach of power.

Fault lies squarely with us,

We allow their deceptions to dissuade.

Staying home we complain

Or cast vote against our own interest.

Each time we give them greater power

Plunging ourselves ever deeper into their pit.

How long will it be before it is too late,

When our eyes are so shielded as to be blind.

You think they are not displaying hateful smiles;

Proud of their accomplishments…

Give yourselves a pat on the back.

You believe that they care about you;

Their coffers are their only love.

Spending to kill their opposition…

This is their way and you are but pawns.

Their complicit media does nothing to inform,

Deceiving and perpetuating their propaganda.

With a populace too lazy to seek the truth,

They are easily swooned by soundbites.

Repeat them often enough and people believe,

How sad this truly is.

We base decisions on 140 characters…or less,

We take statements as fact from anonymous sources.

As a people, we claim to appreciate due diligence,

But not when it comes to those that govern us.

Quick to believe rumors, mass emails and tweets,

We call ourselves informed.

What is it Jefferson said about an enlightened citizenry?

“…it is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic.”

Many of us have proved to be a disappointment…

Social media is not enough, soundbites are not enough;

Ignorance is not an excuse!

You shout your patriotism as if it’s fact

While wrapping yourself in the American flag.

Meanwhile you seek to distance yourself from the poor,

Treating them all as abusers of our system, a drain on society,

Unworthy of saving….better left for dead.

Our health and security you put on the chopping block

Or sell off for the profit of privateers.

You desire to corporatize the education of our young

For so long a public mainstay,

Now raped and pillaged then labeled dysfunctional.

You should be ashamed!

Every institution we hold dear is up for sale.

One day as you enter your sunset years

You will look back, perhaps longingly

And wish for those things that you slaughtered

Out of pure ignorance and deadliest of sins

–Greed.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Don’t You Ever Weary

Don’t you ever weary;

War, propaganda, lying

Corrupting your soul,

Disillusioning our minds.

Done with a smile–

You think us likely to believe,

But we can only be fooled for so long.

Loved ones die for your greed,

Laid to waste in foreign lands.

Brought back with thin veiled honors,

Do you think that flag draped coffins comfort?

They do not!

They cannot!

Tell me–how many barrels of oil is their flesh worth,

A few cents at the pump,

A few more billions in your coffers?

They mean nothing to you,

You do not know them,

You have not held them at birth,

You will not grieve for them when they die,

But you surely will forget them as if they never existed.

You should drop to your knees and beg forgiveness,

Confessing your sinful, criminal ways.

Then again why?

It would all be for naught

For even then you would not be saved.

Such is the price paid–

When the seven deadly sins become

…Your lords and masters.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

For The Kings Amusement

Drawing your broadsword,

The shrill sound of blade on scabbard

Sends the wind whistling as you ready for the plunge.

From your gilded perch you call a throne,

You drive your saber home!

Stripping away every last breath,

Leaving those that built your dominion

Clutching their throats and gasping for air,

All to adorn your coffers

With the gold of fools.

Corpses of the loyal lie scattered about

Left to rot in the noonday sun.

You know more will come

Looking to you for mercy and sustenance,

Knowing they too are expendable.

Your minstrels praise you calling you benevolent Lord

While you smile your hollow smile.

With yellowed teeth and putrid breath

You shower them with accolades,

All the while condemning them to death.

You find this such great sport,

A vicious game,

Played solely for your amusement.

Who loses makes no matter

So long as its you that prospers.

You look down upon your subjects

With jeweled goblet in hand,

Whispering in contempt

That they are not worthy of your grace

Nor deserving of your clemency.

So you carry on like a spoiled Prince

Conniving those around you,

“Fear not!”, you proclaim–this is all in jest,

While the executioner readies his block

For the next ax to fall.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Authors Note: I wrote this piece back in November of 2012 and as I expected, nothing has changed, in fact in many ways it has gotten drastically worse for so many people.  Sadly, I can’t really say I am surprised.

‘Tis Not The Fragrant Flower I Once Knew

‘Tis not the fragrant flower I once knew,

Pleasing to the senses,

Brightening the world with her effervescent palette.

Her silky petals crumble, fragile to the touch,

Falling like toxic ash in the putrid air.

She pollutes the earth that feeds her,

Poisoning her waters making them non potable.

Oh how her beautiful bouquet has mutated,

Turning ugly and angry in the midst of the garden.

Those not of her kind are suffocated as weeds,

Trampled, then pulled out by their roots.

Intolerant and hateful she has become,

The prick of her thorns has turned fatal.

Her beauty, now masticated by selfishness

Sets her on a path to destruction.

No longer prized, no longer admired,

She will be turned as mulch–

Into the soil from whence she came.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Growing Frustration

Growing frustration!

ISIL laughs in our faces

…America bleeds.

Again we are being used

Because we’re slaves to their oil.

The coalition–

Where are they in this struggle?

This fight should be theirs!

Instead we do their bidding

As hostages to these captors.

We’re fooling ourselves.

This isn’t just about safety,

It’s economics.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Humanity (Acrostic)

How is it that we managed to survive this long

Using violence against others indiscriminately

Maiming, killing for the sake of oil and profit

Are we really that cold and uncivilized

No excuse can convince me otherwise

I mourn the loss of all human life

Their families given little time to grieve

Yells for mercy are met with yet another bomb

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~