Tag Archives: life

Beneath the Shell

Credit - withthisfavor.com

Credit – withthisfavor.com

By D. R. DiFrancesco

~~~~~~

We look upon this world as an oyster

Rough, hard and jagged to the touch

Awash with the dirt and grit of life’s tribulations

It lies burrowed in the muck to hide from conflict

Still we claw and rake in the filth for the treasure it holds

Drawing it out from the safety of it’s dingy home

It’s shell is not easily unlocked

Clamped down tightly to protect itself from pain

Reluctantly the shell is pried open

Gradually and over time we are revealed

In a flood our surroundings rush in

Exposing virgin skin to the unfamiliar

Joy and excitement replace reluctance

What wonder is found in discovering your dreams

For beneath the newly uncovered flesh

Lies the pearl you have been longing for

River’s Run

By D. R. DiFrancesco

The river wails in excitement as it reaches the precipice

Morphing into an effervescent shower of God’s tears

Crashing helplessly on the rocks below

The river never trembles

Never hesitates

Never endeavors to postpone it’s end

Instead it marches headlong into the unrevealed

On to a destiny known only to the maker

What a wonderous life it must lead

Concerned not with it’s fate

Content that it has traveled the determined path

Only to be reborn as a bountiful gift from Heaven

Mortality of Man

By: D. R. DiFrancesco

On bended knee,
Bloodied and bruised,
I prayed for forgiveness,,
Hoping for nothing else to lose.

This was not to be,
With tears and head bowed,
Reciting the mantras learned as a child,
A blessing on me I hoped you’d endow.

Having spewn blasphemous epithets,
Having thought impure thoughts,
I was not worthy,
I could not receive the mercy I sought.

A victim to the sins of Adam,
Consumed by the treachery of Eve,
Am I doomed to the frailty of my being,
“Oh no!” I am told if only I believe.

So to what fate is my soul condemned,
To Satan’s dominion or Heaven’s charity,
This is a question of faith,
To ask of God for greater clarity.

We question life’s lessons and failures,
Yet in these, may reside the answers we seek,
As they say, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”,
Quelling what is mortally weak.

Does a God exists, for this I am hopeful,
For if not then this is all for naught,
There’s no comfort in nothing, if you’re gone you’re gone,
Pray for veracity in what we were taught.

Lessons of Life

Looking forward,

Staring into the mirror of my life,

Returns a reflection of my past.

Like history,

My yesterdays keep repeating themselves,

Leaving me struggling to break free.

Hopes and dreams left partially fulfilled,

And regrets, of which there are many,

A constant battle to overcome.

Thankfully with age, I’m less likely to lament,

Especially over those things which I can not change,

Instead choosing to carve out a niche’ for the joyful things in life.

Should mistakes of the past be renewed,

Looking with eyes steeped in greater wisdom,

I endeavor to make this their last.

Still the realist that I am gets in the way,

Making the struggle monumental,

And the results muddled.

Yes…I am a flawed creature,

Free will engendered as both blessing and curse,

Yet I do not desire to change it.

We are given but one existence,

Is it destiny…luck…or divine intervention that lights our path,

For this, I have no answer, choosing instead to sit back and enjoy this wild ride.

Resplendence or Regret

By D. R. DiFrancesco

 

Do you like what you see,

Molded after what you dreamed I’b be,

Sheltered behind walls of stone.

 

My wings clipped,

Meant to keep me safe,

Instead, caging my will to fly.

 

I knocked on fates door,

Only to have it slammed angrily in my face,

Resigned to a destiny of civilized certainty.

 

Is this the path I would have chosen?

Maybe, but that was for me to adjudge,

I never had the chance to find out.

 

Adolescence enslaved me,

Chaining my desires, preventing them from soaring,

Pushing me in directions that you found acceptable.

 

Age held no respite,

Desire for approval ingrained into my being,

Second guessing decisions through your minds eye.

 

Passage to maturity should not proceed this way,

Life’s lessons are meant to form us,

To be our guide through our metamorphosis to adulthood.

 

Despite being bound to the past,

Handcuffed to the vision of what I was supposed to be.

I have broken free of the iron shackles of my youth.

 

With no time for regrets I have freed me,

Unlocking my hopes from the dungeon of childhood,

Escaping the hangman that would have stifled my future.

 

Look back I would not change a thing,

Realizing that your protectiveness although misguided, decided who I became,

Leaving it up to me to alter the path on which I strode.

 

In strength I have become myself,

Confronting my shortcomings with an iron fist,

Finding the goodness in what I have become.

 

Harboring no compunction,

You did what you did out of love for my well-being,

Although flawed doing what you thought was best.

 

For this I thank you.

The Vow – A Poem

By D. R. DiFrancesco

I could never find fault in you,
My soul lashed to yours won’t permit it,
Kindness envelopes your heart,
The warm inviting happiness in your smile
Blinds me to what others may see.

In my tribulation you have always been there,
Sickness and health has been no barrier,
My sadness washed away by your tears,
Nothing more could I ask of you,
All I could hope to repay, to return like kindness.

At my worst you stood by me,
Taking my hand to your lips,
A gentle kiss to reassure me,
Comforting me in your glow,
Inspiring my belief that everything would be okay.

When my strength weakend,
Bedridden and afflicted, you reinforced me,
Loving me without condition,
Honoring our vows,
Until I was strong again in my own flesh.

My friend through every storm,
I couldn’t ask for a better mate,
We are in union,
Syncronized to this lifes time,
My passion, my devotion, my love.

 

In Memorial

She is gone now,

Weeks have passed,

Shock is no more.

Resigned to the fact that we won’t see her again,

We won’t share coffee around the kitchen table,

Won’t share meals at the holidays,

Won’t see the warm smile,

Won’t see the pride in her eyes at our little accomplishments.

Grandmothers are someone taken for granted,

They were always there,

From our beginning,

Naively we think that they will never leave.

Still something deep in our hearts knows  its a lie,

We lie to ourselves because its easier than facing the truth.

The status quo easier to take than the pain,

But nothing can stay the same.

Parents become Grandparents,

Children, parents,

The eternal cycle repeats like a palindrome.

I don’t pretend to know what lay beyond this fragile life,

We pray to, hope for, obsess about an unseen God,

Holding steadfast to our faith,

Grasping with clenched fists to the fabric of what’s left of our existence,

Knowing that in time, we to, will meet our maker,

Whomever we conceive our maker to be.

In this, our soul finds consolation,

Finding peace in our belief in the unknowable,

Finding relief in the belief that this world is just the beginning,

That eternal life is not a myth,

But instead a promise of something greater,

Something greater than anything created in our mortal imaginations.

In this hope,

We find comfort.

In this hope,

We find peace.

As we pay our final respects,

In this hope,

You will not be forgotten.

Instead,

In this hope of heaven,

We say goodbye.

Theater of Life

By D. R. DiFrancesco

Naked and raw
Blasting from the womb like a seedling from its pod
Screaming for the first breath
So begins the amazing campaign
A politician elected to life.

Born out of love or lust
The aftermath which is indistinguishable
Unquenchable contest for sustenance
To triumph is all that is known
Primal urges the impetus to persist.

Adolescence brings arrogance
As maturity is sluggish to prevail over unrefined emotion
Enmity and dispute become commonplace
Tightening the reins like those of an untamed mustang
Welcome, right of passage.

Time quells obstinacy
While Respect replaces contempt
Competition for dominance is no longer primary
Instead wisdom is honored rather than detested
Seeing in age what we hope to become.

Understanding seems second nature
Now seen through the eyes of the aged
What once so obscure, is now clear as crystal
Modeled in the image of those that came before
To live in us as both a blessing and curse.

Son becomes father, daughter becomes mother
The circle enclosed as adolescent morphs into elder
Kindred souls flow like a river never-ceasing
Reproducing life through life’s rushing waters
Simply actors are we in this great play.

Leaving behind those we’ve reared
Progeny that embody what is transcendent
Nature and happenstance will dictate their course
While predecessors move on to nights last voyage
Rhythmically repeating the cycle of life.

Loves Transformation

By D. DiFrancesco

 

Fires burn,

They start out white hot

Then cool to a shimmering blue.

It’s not that the flame has diminished

The passion still glows, but its appearance changes with time.

We find comfort in one another, by being in each other’s presence.

A look,

Says more than words ever could.

Nothing can be said that you haven’t already heard.

Love, anger, sadness, all my feelings expressed in a glance

Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.

Maybe you do after all these years.

A caress,

Something tender and sweet

Your warmth, skin against skin, your beauty

Isn’t it fascinating how each of life’s seasons seems frozen in time?

My vision of you, still a twenty-something

So precious to me because of the spirit that is you.

Our lives,

The bond we share through adulation

Through friendship, endearment, and adoration

We have become one.

That nothing in heaven or earth can decimate.

My best friend, mate, and truelove for all eternity.

A Common Life

A COMMON LIFE

By: D. DiFrancesco

Dreams of greatness pass
Like the flickering flame of a candle doth die.
Youth brings thoughts that cannot last
Through every hope reality replies.

Ambitions push for fame and glory
These too are dashed in fires eternal.
Ministering to the flock the age old story
Left for lifes pleasures carnal.

To serve with honor next desired
On oceans of blue and green not to be.
Parental opposition they both conspired
To steer this ship into calmer seas.

So many attempts have I endevored
To make my way on paths I’ve chosen.
To no avail the byways severed
A common subsistence I’m now beholden.

Regrets at one time there were so many
Now reconciled I am at peace.
Born to this world a life of frenzy
The joys of experience cry out for release.

Tears no more will my eyes engender
My path to destiny fulfilled.
To the little things I prize surrender
A troubled conscience now stilled.

I worry no more of roads less traveled
As a life lived well is a life worth living.
Those that I love smooth what I have raveled
Content to pass on with all I’ve been given.

So worry not for me when the time doth come
The fruits I’ve inherited, greater than my share.
Resolute I’ve gifted far more than some
Prepared to leave this world with nary a care.