Civil rights movement
Alive and well in our young
Picking up the torch
We hoped these days passed
Only to smoulder again
Into raging fire
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Tag Archives: inequality
Our Tide In Great Waves Rolls Out
Our tide, in great waves rolls out,
Back to a dark and murky ocean.
So long we have struggled to crawl from the slime
To a place of light and enlightenment in this New World.
Holding up the Statue of Liberty as a sign of hope,
As a sign of our lust for freedom and equality,
We are showered in a torrent of our own hypocrisy.
There are brothers and sisters among us
That still struggle for whole-hearted inclusion.
Cast to the fringes they are ostracized and criticized
For their God-instilled proclivities.
As men, who are we to be judge and jury of our peers,
This was not ordained upon us by the Creator!
Time and again we wander this rocky treacherous road
Seeking to impose man’s prejudices upon men.
Would Christ whom you hold so dear have been this cold,
Tossing his brethren out into the desert?
You dredge up this muck with arrogance under the guise of freedom
Plotting all the time to shackle others for your cause.
Put yourself in your adversaries shoes,
Do they not feel worn out and ragged?
Early in this twenty first century I was optimistic,
Hopeful that common sense and compassion would prevail,
But now I am left disgusted and embarrassed.
Is this what America has devolved into,
A nation of oppression, prejudice and inequality
Based on twisted interpretations of God?
A travesty we have become…indeed!
~~ 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.
Blood And Tears By The Day We Weep
Blood and tears by the day we weep
At the hands of a master with whip in hand.
Giving just enough so his slaves may eat
While keeping them cast in this purgatory land.
From towers of ivory they cackle at our fear
That their purse strings of velvet they may cinch.
Leaving us victim to the profits held so dear
Unwilling to contort even an inch.
O’ the horrors of the indentured organizing for their rights
How terrible and unpatriotic they must be.
To want a fair wage and sleep peacefully at night
Instead of worrying that their jobs just might flee.
Capitalists claim it’s the best of both worlds
That the profits trickle down to the masses.
With a grin on their faces lies they do hurl
Condemning the poor and middle classes.
Those that buy in are the ones they most harm
Afraid to speak out for what is fair.
Choosing to smile and nod with a charm
That sloughs it all off with no care.
They lie to themselves that all’s as it should be
No better system exists on this earth.
While the master ships our jobs away overseas
This shows how little we are worth.
Who is unpatriotic where their loyalty is concerned
The capitalist driven by power and greed.
Or is it the captive dying for all he has earned
Just to live and his family to feed.
In nearly two and half centuries very little has changed
Money and class are still rules of the day.
This is how unjustly our system is arranged
The affluent would have it no other way.
So pull close your wife, husband, daughter and son
For the ride may get bumpier as we go.
Unless we fight back then the master–he has won
Then ever less is all we’ll have to show.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
More Cold Than The Season (Sonnet)
More cold than the season could possibly express,
Hangs in the air and the hearts of man.
We speak not of atrocities, we’d rather repress
Waged against others by their brother’s hand.
.
Considering ourselves a civilized sort,
Still in prejudice and intolerance we stand.
Giving no venue for them to retort
In what with affection we call the promised land.
.
This promise so cruel–seems held for the few
While the rest us are left to our own devices
The whip of the wealthy cracks to tame the shrews
While living high amongst their golden vices
.
Inequalities based on race, creed and color exist no matter how we wish them to fade,
Persisting throughout the years, not because we are right, but instead because we are afraid.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
What Was His Worth
Nelson Mandela July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013
What was his worth?
To many–he was priceless,
No pearl, no diamond could compare.
Behind bars…
Or taking in the breaths of freedom
He was unshakable.
Even in the face of all that was stolen from him
He shone with the light of forgiveness.
All of this done with a burning hope,
A hope for progress,
For justice,
For equality,
For the death of apartheid.
Fighting with the weapons of peace
His was not just a fight for his people,
But a fight against all the wrongs plaguing humanity.
Noble, to be honored, cherished, thanked, missed…
What was his worth?
Far more than these words could possibly speak.
Farewell Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,
…You will not, you must not be forgotten.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
How Joyous The Day Equality Overcame Hatred
How joyous the day equality overcame hatred,
Though with sadness I ask, “Why was it even necessary?”
We had not…no we have not moved beyond prejudice!
Replacing one group of brothers and sisters with another does not absolve us!
Oh yes! The faces are different, but the name is the same
And this–we call this progress?
Do not think me ungrateful…I am proud,
Though disheartened by so slim a margin,
Yet this is a triumphant day to be sure.
Still–there is so much softening to be done to the callous heart.
“All men are created equal” so proudly declared by so many
Is still, but a dream should you not fit their mould of convention.
Speaking as though preference of the heart is chosen
Shows their narrowness of mind.
It is not choice, it is ingrained by nature!
It is not a flaw nor is it an abomination,
It is who they are, just as you are how you were born.
That which you do not wish to understand should not draw ire,
But instead your silence…with our profound appreciation.
The time of state sanctioned intolerance is in it’s death throes
Though this alone will not change those ignorant of mind.
Yes, this battle will rage on,
For many, long after they are gone,
But know dear friends that bigotry and hate can not prevail
In the presence of humanity and love.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Authors note: I had been debating whether to write this poem firstly, because I am not a member of the LGBT community and secondly, because I don’t pretend to speak for or have any first hand knowledge of what they have gone through, but then I thought why not, we are all human beings, we all came into this world in the same way and we will all leave it the same way. I have been an observer of this struggle for equality for a very long time and quite frankly found it disgusting that it ever existed in the first place. To add to the distastefulness is the fact that public polling, for the longest time, showed that more than 50% of those polled were in favor of continuing state sanctioned discrimination. In America, we struggled for our freedom from oppression and proudly proclaim in our Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal” and yet this freedom from oppression and equality only held true if you were a God fearing heterosexual apparently. This ideal was an absolute disgrace. So long as the parties are adults, what right does any human being have to prevent another human being from marrying the one that they truly love? Religious institutions may choose not to marry same sex couples before their altars, but they surely have no standing to prevent them before the law. Of course this is simply one man’s opinion, but I stand behind it wholeheartedly. Congratulations to all of you, it has been a very long time coming and you justly deserve this landmark win.
There Are Times When I’ve Forgotten Why I’m Here
There are times when I’ve forgotten why I’m here.
So much is happening around me yet I feel powerless.
Overwhelmed, at times I wish to bury my head in the sand,
But this is not me!
I refuse to sit idly by, while others contribute?
I am not helpless!
I cannot be a passive observer of injustice,
As this would make me no better than they.
I will not stand by, oblivious to the callousness of man,
For what kind of man would that make me.
These are the enabler’s of genocide and war,
Bigotry, hatred and inequality toward our equals,
Repression of those of lesser will,
Arrogance and ignorance,
I will take no part in these travesties!
I do not need God to beseech of me,
For I already know what is right and good.
With this I will find my way on the straightened path,
My moral compass to guide me,
In my journey to affect change.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 