Stars

Stars, an audience–they look down and laugh,

We stare back jaw slacked, eyes of wonder.

How foolish they must find us,

Our mountains out of molehills;

Stressing and straining over our tiny little lives.

Nothing mortal could compare to that of the universe!

Keeping all of those glorious stars twinkling,

Brightening the slate black sky.

How tired the heavens must be

Inspiring romance, hopes, dreams,

The joining of lovers,

Receiving only occasional recognition.

What do we give in return?

Nothing–we continue to take

Just as we have always done,

Just as we will always do.

Perhaps the stars look upon us as the children we are.

Spoiled yet naive to the ways of this world.

To these sages we look for heavenly guidance

Offering prayers for blessings imagined.

This is in our nature

Looking for the Divine in that which we cannot touch.

Who has not looked skyward and begged for mercy,

Beckoned for release from an ill fate,

Cried out for intervention?

We think ourselves the center of all,

Master of our domain–independent, indestructible

Until we are overwhelmed, broken and drowned in tears.

Then we look out upon the vast audience above

Putting on the grandest of shows for their pleasure,

Hoping, praying for accolades

And furtherance from the stars.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Faces Of Those Passed (Tanka)

Faces of those passed

I remember vividly

As if they’re still here

Is this our eternal life

To live on in memory

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Spirit Touches Me (Tanka)

Spirit touches me
Though I know not what to do
Seemingly aloof
And ever so elusive
I continue to struggle

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

How Long Should I Stay (Sonnet)

How long should I stay, it’s a question of time

As long as you need I suppose, if you must.

Do we really have a say, I say no to the climb

From birth to our death, in the Divine we must trust.

 

One minute or years, it’s out of our control

How long we will be on this earth, we don’t know.

Fear of our passing, certainly taking its toll

For when heaven comes calling, we must go.

 

Try as we might, we can’t stave our own ends

Rearing it’s head, unexpected most times.

This circle of life, no mere mortal can bend

As we wait for the hour, Reaper’s bell to chime.

 

Be thankful for what time we have in this life, fleeting it is to be certain,

Loving your children, mother, father, husband, wife, before you draw your last curtain.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Lightning Tears The Sky (Haiku)

Lightning tears the sky

Shattering heaven’s crystal

God’s fragile canvas

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Blink And It Is Gone

Blink and it is gone.

All that you took for granted–

Evaporated,

Because of insatiable greed

And deep-rooted selfishness.

Looking down from high

Upon those less fortunate

With smirks and disdain–

You should truly be ashamed!

Each dirty face could be yours

In a single blink.

It is that simple.

In this life or the next

There will be judgement.

Do you want to take the chance

That you’ll be the lesser soul?

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

I Walked The Fields And Deserts

I walked the fields and deserts,

Swam the lakes and oceans,

Breathed in the crisp mountain air,

Strolled the floor of the grandest of canyons,

Gazed into the clear blue sky,

Survived the darkest of storms,

Searching…

Seeking something I had already found.

It surrounded me always,

Was under every footstep,

Flowed gracefully around me with every stroke,

Was visible to me though I could not see,

Shone down upon me from the heavens,

Drenched me in every downpour.

It is in every cell, every vein of my being.

The Divine was always present,

Always enveloping me.

Though it has taken a lifetime,

I finally realize I AM.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

It Occurred To Me Today

It occurred to me today–

Prompted by a voice,

Not in my head,

No, it came from a voice on the radio.

I’ve heard this voice a hundred times,

Heard the same questions,

Heard the same answer,

But today–

Today of all days I actually listened.

What is life?

What is living?

That’s when the light finally turned on.

It’s the glorious journey of learning how to die.

We do it daily,

We do it with every breath.

We look to our religions,

Our Gods, our souls for the answer.

Why?

In the desire to leave this world in peace

With dignity,

With the hope for something after,

Something more than this temporary existence.

And why shouldn’t we?

Are we not returning to our beginning,

To the earth,

To the air,

To the heavens,

As we have been blessed to do.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Pearls In The Nighttime Sky

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 ~~

 

What Does Heaven Know Of My Dreams

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 ~~