Tag Archives: marriage

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 ~~

Footsteps

Footsteps travel on as far as the eye can see

Side-by-side in lockstep just as straight as straight could be

I followed for a time to see where they would go

After a while only one set remained in the sand it did show

I stopped in amazement as they up and disappeared

What must have happened, something tragic I feared

Turning in circles no steps did depart

They just seemed to stop never returning whence they start

The second set went on at a steady measured pace

Never picking up stride, never seeming to race

I followed for a time the solitary set of prints

Nothing about their direction offered any hints

Where they might be going I hadn’t had a clue

Walking straight and narrow they never veered from true

Feet tired and achy the end it seemed in sight

Time had passed so quickly as day gave in to night

Before the light had faded I saw a chapel up ahead

A tiny cemetery, some benches and a shed

Seated on the bench, a solitary elderly man

With a bouquet of red roses held tightly in his hand

Clearing my throat so not to startle or to scare

I took a seat on his bench and struggled not to stare

Mustering up the courage I asked if he was alone

He responded, no he wasn’t in the gentlest of tones

Looking round and round there was no one else in sight

The story that he told turned me a paler shade of white

He told me that he took this stroll nearly every day

Just he and his loving wife would walk, hold hands and pray

With a smile he continued in a soft and mild tone

That part way through their walk she couldn’t manage alone

He’d pick her up and carry her the rest of their way

Her arms around his neck begging him to stay

Home is where he’d take her and lay her down to rest

Pointing to a tiny grave, he frowned, “I know its not the best”

But I promised her I’d be with her each and every day

We’d been together 60 years I knew no other way

Tonight I told her I’d be home soon never again to leave

The pain was getting far too hard as each evening alone he’d grieve

Patting my hand with trembling legs, hunched over he did stand

Shuffling over to his darling’s grave he placed the roses from his hand

I sat and watched as he walked away ‘til he’d wandered out of sight

Never again did I see the man who endeared me on that night

He’d kept the promise never to leave that he made to his love

His tiny grave, right next to hers, they’re together up above.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

There Is A Thaw

There is a thaw, too long in the making;

Not just of snow and ice nor lake or window pane,

We are on the cusp of a thawing of ideals.

Like the first breaths of spring,

Fragrant and refreshing after a long brutal winter.

~

What beauty awaits as blossoms,

Every color of the rainbow paints winters bare landscape,

Each one equally beautiful.

So many had fought and died to see this day,

Sun shining, blue skies, a warming breeze

Before returning to the earth.

~

You were not forgotten

As successive springs sprout new generations

In the image of those preceding them.

Your loss was not for naught brothers and sisters,

A hopeful spring has come.

Spread beyond your garden borders

To mingle amongst the forests and fields.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Together So Long – A Tanka

Together so long

We speak volumes with silence

Our thoughts meld as one

What a strange phenomenon

This marriage of two mimes

~

~~ 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 ~~

Of Marriage Equality

This incessant fighting,

Selective equality,

Blatant discrimination,

Is this what America is about?

~

Answer!, Those of you waving the constitution in our faces!

You cannot pick and choose when to hold it in high esteem,

You cannot pick and choose when and what to disregard.

~

You say marriage equality is evil,

You say you are defending the children,

It will destroy conventional marriage,

Destroy the family.

~

Nay I say!

The demise of the two parent family occurred long ago,

Half consumed by the flames of divorce.

I ask you, is not love of greater importance?

~

Gay my friends, is not a disease,

It is not contagious,

It is not some choice made on a whim,

It is not a choice at all, but determined at birth.

~

You heathens hide behind your religion,

You hide behind the robes of your God

So that you can carry on your campaign of bigotry feeling justified,

Distorting the word you so deeply cherish

To the detriment of your fellow man.

~

Oh, but how funny it is!

How opinions change when they enter your life,

When they are your sons and daughters,

When they are your friends or next of kin.

Suddenly the world seems so much clearer

And that which you have taken exception to seems to disappear.

~

Raise your voices dear friends!

Stand with your brothers and sisters,

Stand with your sons and daughters,

Stand with those having little voice.

We must be one if we are to be a great nation,

United…Equal…and Free!

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

A New Day, Another Poll

A new day…another poll.

Do they like us more today than yesterday

This referendum on hate and bigotry is sickening

We are not new,

We have always been here.

Hiding in the shadows for fear of retribution.

Frequently the target of slings and arrows

Thrown by our brothers and sisters.

Sadly, sometimes they hit the mark.

Why such animosity?

We breath the same air you do,

Drink the same water,

Eat the same food.

We are born of the sacred vessel like you

And we die alone as you do.

We love like you do,

We long to be loved like you do.

We are children of God like you.

You know us though you may not know it.

We are your sons and daughters,

We are your friends and acquaintances,

We are the person you pass on the street,

We are the teacher in your schools,

We are the soldier fighting for your freedom,

We are fireman and policeman,

We are the teller at your ban,

We are the checkout clerk at your convenience store,

We are parents,

We want to be parents,

We were born this way,

Though you think it a choice.

We are gay not broken,

We are not something you need to fix.

We are all created equal,

Wasn’t that the promise made to all of us

Not just to you?

                                 ~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

* I wrote this piece because I am tired of the endless polls regarding American’s attitudes toward gay marriage.  We seem to have this morbid fascination with the LGBT community to the point that  many of us are willing to discriminate against them just to keep them from marrying.  In my opinion, not only is this absurd, but it is also unconstitutional and should never have been an issue in the first place.  I personally have family members who are gay and I have neither treated them nor looked upon them any differently than anyone else because of their sexual orientation.  I have never felt threatened by them, nor have they ever been a threat to the children in our family.  They are terrific people.  Folks, you don’t chose to be gay, you are born that way.  Isn’t it time we get over our homophobia and extend the rights to them as citizens that they are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and put an end to this nonsense.

Free At Last

Can you feel the beat of my heart

As you once did?

Flesh…

Blood coursing through my veins.

Though strong, not superhuman.

~

I bleed the souls of my fathers when cut,

Shed rivers of tears when broken,

Succumb to infirmities with hastening age,

Scar, ugly and jagged in healing,

Die a mortal death when called by the Creator.

~

You and I, conjoined in our humanness,

Why do you treat me otherwise?

The lash of your venom has left permanent tears.

Can you not refrain?

These are not badges of honor I wear, but disgrace,

On display to this cynical, forsaken world.

~

Treated as a carnival sideshow…no longer!

I am not a marionette bequeathed for amusement,

And you are not my puppet-master.

With sickle these ties shall be no more;

Dignity awaits me just beyond this stage.

~

As I reach for the exit door,

Claws dig into my flesh in one final bid,

But I am resolute in my determination;

Pulling free of your hideous grasp,

Free of control, free of your loathing,

Liberated from bondage.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Truest of Loves

Catapult my feelings to the sky

Scattered to poles by twisting winds

Revealed my heart so you may lie

Within my arms, true love begins

~

To you my words no justice do

My tongue in knots, I make no sense

Conduct portrays my emotions true

Offered up with no presumed pretense

~

I choose to pose my love in verse

Too shy to speak these heartfelt words

My love exposed, flowery and terse

In these my heart is garishly heard

~

I have no qualms in sharing my soul

It was meant at birth to be given to you

Without your hand I’ll never be whole

Through God and my faith I construe

~

Distress me no more with nary response

This agony more torturous than death

Mutter your reply, I urge you at once

Before drawing in my final breath.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

I Do – A Haiku

Image Credit: estateweddingsandevent.com

Image Credit: estateweddingsandevent.com

Solemn vow, I do’s

Said during wedding day bliss

Oft lost over time

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco