Tag Archives: hate

Prejudice in the 21st Century

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 ~~

Hardened Heart – A Tanka

A heart once hardened

Ferments in caustic hatred

Shutting out true love

Tragic is this festering

Leaving nothing but ashes

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Envy – A Tanka

The look on your face

Hinting of true sarcasm

Though your words are kind

Words can not hide the envy

And contempt that you harbor

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Shattered Glass

Shattered glass sparkles as crystal under foot.

In anger, words were elusive,

You replied with an object of convenience.

O’ the lovely bouquet;

Homeless, evicted from it’s vase residence,

A chaotic arrangement on the hardwood.

Love morphed to hate,

Expressed in oh so funny ways.

Drenched in floral water

Fragrant as your estrogen tears,

Laying prone to avoid concussion.

What brought us here?

Pictures…smile infused speak of happier times,

Posing cheek-to-cheek, hand-in-hand,

No angry words, no words at all,

Communication via telepathy.

Speaking became a flint

Sparking…fueling fire, blue, white hot.

Singeing flesh and heart,

Blistering physically and emotionally

Until silence became a friend.

There is no reconciliation

No bandage or splint to fix what’s broken.

Like the vase, Irreparably shattered,

Love is left in a million pieces.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Awakening

Awakening to the first rays of day

Filtered through muddled panes;

Thankful for each cherished breath,

The perfection of the day,

My wife, children, friends, acquaintances,

Those whom I have not yet met,

Perfect in just their existence.

This happiness is born deep within;

It can not be projected on one by another

Nor given as one would tender a gift.

This joy must live of it’s own volition,

In unison with the body temple,

Expelling that which festers melancholy.

Would anyone not choose happiness over misery,

Relaxation over stress, Peace over violence,

Love over hate…I think not.

This ability lies within each of us,

Active or in hibernation;

Only a nudge is necessary to awaken it

Often we bury it under rubble;

Forged from the drama surrounding us.

Though unavoidable,

It must not be permitted to loiter.

Rather it must be cast out as a leper,

Burned at the stake,

Sacrificed to the gods,

Guaranteeing the health of our mind,

Our body

And our spirit.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Equal is Equal – A Haiku

Image Credit: seiu.org

Image Credit: seiu.org

Equal is equal

Only when convenient

Discrimination

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

An Interminable Succession

Trapped in an interminable succession,

Love, hate,

Happiness, sadness,

Joy, anger

Tolerant, intolerant,

Fear, confidence,

Belief, disbelief.

This cyclone of existence, bleeds me from the inside,

Every ounce of energy expended to maintain equilibrium.

Ups, downs,

Highs, lows,

Gravitating my emotions in tumultuous ways,

Exhausting my spirit to the soul’s core.

I am left a molten mass,

Raw nerves exposed to open air,

Sensitive to every sensation,

Yet helpless to defend.

I guess I really am human after all.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

The Wretch Within

Mirror shattered,

Bluish-green razor edge inviting,

Showing me pieces of who I used to be,

In fractured frames,

Blurring the lines of my worn and weary face.

To go on seems pointless,

In light of the disappointment I’ve sown in my life,

What relief cool glass to flesh would bring,

Were it not for the disappointment it would usher,

The woes of family and friends,

The abomination I would be before God,

The cowardice of my soul,

The greater Hell I would face.

Maybe this life is the biblical Hell,

Perhaps everything hereafter is Heavenly,

I do not know,

I can not know,

These things beyond the knowledge of man,

Revealed as mystery whilst I breath.

Of this I am certain, I will carry my burden,

Not for me as I am beyond hope,

But for those around me,

To prevent the shame of my imperfections.

Maybe this is the cross that I must bear,

Heavy…splinters piercing my flesh,

Wretched in this worldly skin.

~~ 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 ~~

Unjustified Criticism – A Tanka

Image Credit: guardian.co.uk

Image Credit: guardian.co.uk

Berated by kin

Castigated by strangers

Who turn a deaf ear

Criticizing without facts

Now who’s the ignorant one

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~