Tag Archives: hopes

Outward

Sand, coarse and hot runs through my fingers,

Blending seamlessly with others of their kind,

This endless sea of granulated wonder.

Alike, of similar origins, living in their same world;

Not so unlike the vastness of our own terrarium.

Under the skin, are not our similarities overwhelming,

Blood, bone, tissue, mineral, hopes, dreams, ambitions,

Born, living and dying as we all must, it is not a choice,

Nor an option given to us at first breath.

Look hard around you,

Oh, how the tricks of the eye are so convincing,

Seeing only that which is physical.

What does this tell of the being?

What of their hearts, their souls,

Their minds, their aspirations,

Their pain and suffering?

Nothing! For the eye is a fool,

Easily leading and misleading the mind,

Diverting maliciously from another’s essence,

Their true being and all that is important.

The shallowness of outward impressions limits us,

Preventing us from knowing, befriending, understanding.

Ignorance feeds us foremost,

Our temporal gluttony gorges us,

Making us something less than human,

With our flawed vision of what should be.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Casual Observers

Are we not all but casual observers

This game…though not such a game that governments play

What is it they do not tell us in the name of our own good

Who are they to decide what serves us best

Are these not our lives, our futures, our hopes, our dreams

They toy with these for their own folly

For the sake of national pride we label others as evil

Without looking within at our own flaws

Puffing chests, bellicose, with an arrogance befitting fools

Answering tit-for-tat with ever greater threats of destruction

This chain of ceaseless violence, when will it subside

Years of pain, years of suffering have taken their toll on this weary nation

I ask, what have we won, show me…show us

Do we need another war, more bloodshed of the innocent,

Further sacrifices by our brave men and women delivered as pawns

for subversive economic gain

Isn’t it time to seek peace after so much loss

And break this cycle of violence.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Metamorphosis (For My Daughter)

Faces in the crowd,

Nameless, peering through me,

Recognizing every minute flaw,

Silently laughing,

They whisper behind cupped hand,

Eyes dart in my direction then away,

Not so very subtle,

They think I’m oblivious,

But I see them,

I know what they are thinking,

I know what they are saying,

These things are not who I am,

One look in the mirror bears this out,

My reflection is unique,

Beholden only to me,

Blonde hair,

A shade unlike any other,

Ivory skin,

Imperfect, but my own,

Neither stick thin nor tall,

Comparisons to runway models are unfair,

Artificial life forms,

Moulded from botox and silicone,

Airbrushed to flawless perfection,

Idols born of magazine covers and centerfolds,

An unrealistic expectation for any young woman,

To live up to this cosmetic fraud is impossible,

Beauty is only skin deep,

Physical and momentary,

I am so much deeper than the shallowness of this pool,

If you could only see my essence,

The storm raging inside me,

Hopes, dreams, passions, opinions

Swirling like a typhoon,

A perfect storm,

Waiting to erupt with explosive force,

Breaking out of this cocoon of fear,

Leaving shards of this scared little girl,

In pieces on the floor,

Rising out of the wreckage,

A stronger more self-confident woman,

Able to speak for myself,

Defend my views,

Hold my head high in the face of adversity,

To cower no more,

Behind a mask of insecurity,

My opinions matter,

Commanding respect,

Regardless of whether we disagree,

I am an equal,

And I demand to be treated as such,

No longer subordinate,

My age, race and gender should have no bearing,

Yes, I may fall, but I will not break,

Yes, I may occasionally fail, but failing does not signal inadequacy,

I will sprain and bruise,

Scars left as reminders of experience gained,

But you must grant me this right of passage,

Allowing me to grow and become independent,

Crawling out from under my parents wings,

To stand unaided as if for the very first time,

An infant in a brave new world,

Opened up to be lived and explored,

I will voice my politics,

This is now my right,

Using my vote to shape the world I live in,

Unafraid to stand up,

Even when ridiculed by those of differing views,

This is their right as it is mine,

I will pay them no head unless civil,

Extremists hold no sway over me,

My hopes and dreams stand before me,

With open arms waiting to embrace,

I have the power of mind and body,

To grasp and hold all that I desire,

Be it business, education, the helping of others,

All these things are within my reach,

It is not for you to determine my passion,

You do not live within me,

But you benefit by my being,

I will break out of this shell,

Becoming all that life has endowed in me,

If I will just let me go.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Frequently I Drift – A Tanka

Frequently I drift

Into my minds dark corners

Deep…hidden away

Where others cannot find me

Here I shield my hopes and dreams

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Question of Significance

You see me on the street, but you do not see me.

I am, but a speck of dust caught in the beam of a streetlight.

Insignificant in this grand and glorious scheme,

But not so insignificant to those who cherish me…as I cherish them.

Mother as I to my wife…wife as I to my daughter,

Father as I to my son…all cherish me, as I them.

Miniscule in this tidal pool of humanity as I may be

This robe I wear befits all that breathe this air,

Fed from the heartlands fertile soil,

Pleasure in grain-fed fowl or grass-fed cattle.

In you dear friends, I see a reflection of me in your life-worn faces;

Neither success nor poverty can separate us in our final hours.

You as I shall become equal to the grasses blade,

The acorn and maple leaf, meal worm and maggot

Shall all become our equals as we return to the earth whence we came.

There is no escape from this inescapable truth.

Though you persevere to nullify my worth, you can not;

For my worth lies not in your perceptions,

But in those of they who loved me.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Endless Possibilities – A Haiku

Image Credit: thinkpositive30.cim

Image Credit: thinkpositive30.cim

Out of simple thoughts

Come the greatest inventions

Don’t dismiss your dreams

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

I Am

Image credit - optionalpha.com

Image credit – optionalpha.com

This imperfect surface

Skin, hair, nails is not me

I am in my head

Emotion, hopes, dreams, ambitions

Wrapped in this disposable package

No bottle can contain what can’t be seen

Cut me and I bleed, red and warm

Still you’ve taken nothing from me

I have not been altered

Love, compassion, disgust

Strong as before, they did not seep from the wound

It may scar, raised and ugly, but I surely will heal

These afflictions are but temporary

Simple setbacks that only strengthen my character

You trip me

The fall leaves me scraped and bruised

Black, blue and painful to the touch

This is not the first time I have fallen

Most certainly I will fall again, this is part of life

Scraps heal and bruises will disappear without a trace

And I will continue on, a better person for the experience

Passion, sadness, tenacity, empathy

These help define the real me to the world

I am not the face you see on the street

I am not the clothes that I wear

I am not what I present to the naked eye

What I am is so much more

Masquerading behind what you observe

Look deeper, discard what you see

Take your time, a surprise awaits you

The treasure I offer is there for the taking

I will show you the real me if you are bold enough to ask

So ask, be bold

You will find that I am emotion, hopes, dreams, ambitions

I am love, compassion, disgust

I am passion, sadness, tenacity, empathy

And I am so much more

Not all that I am is good

I am imperfect in my humanness

Constantly evolving into who I want to be

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~