Awakening

Awakening to the first rays of day

Filtered through muddled panes;

Thankful for each cherished breath,

The perfection of the day,

My wife, children, friends, acquaintances,

Those whom I have not yet met,

Perfect in just their existence.

This happiness is born deep within;

It can not be projected on one by another

Nor given as one would tender a gift.

This joy must live of it’s own volition,

In unison with the body temple,

Expelling that which festers melancholy.

Would anyone not choose happiness over misery,

Relaxation over stress, Peace over violence,

Love over hate…I think not.

This ability lies within each of us,

Active or in hibernation;

Only a nudge is necessary to awaken it

Often we bury it under rubble;

Forged from the drama surrounding us.

Though unavoidable,

It must not be permitted to loiter.

Rather it must be cast out as a leper,

Burned at the stake,

Sacrificed to the gods,

Guaranteeing the health of our mind,

Our body

And our spirit.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Past, Present, Future

What a weighty beast this animal regret,

Overshadowing the contemporary with antiquity,

For what purpose but to depress.

This concept of past, present, future inequity.

Each fleeting second paints our past,

Never ending, unavoidable, unchangeable

Causing distress and unhappiness if permitted.

Future bears no less weight,

Harboring angst in it’s face…unknown.

To what end, fear, hesitance, isolation.

No one can foretell what challenges lay ahead,

Destiny is what it will be,

Beyond mortal knowledge and control.

Remaining is present, here and now.

Over this deviant only, do we have influence,

Choice…free will, holds dominant sway.

Present is ours to sculpt into a masterpiece;

Then, in an unfathomable moment it fades into past

Never to be relived, redone, reconsidered.

Energies expended on present are well spent,

Are obtainable, conceivable, justifiable.

Past and future serve only to bleed us;

Sapping mind, body and spirit.

Let present feed the future

And bury the past.

~

~~ 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 ~~

O’ Precious Neighbor – A Tanka

O’ precious neighbor

Though we live worlds apart

We are of one soul

One mind and of one body

Our stories end the same way

~

~~ Dominic DiFrancesco ~~

Mind Games

Sorrowing Old Man – Vincent Van Gogh – 1890

By D. R. DiFrancesco

~~

Drifting away,

Drowning in a sea of desperation,

Grasping for a life ring of sanity,

Just out of my reach.

~

I look within,

A swirling cyclonic mess embodies me,

Unrefined shapes and forms,

Seeking to undermine me at every turn.

~

This Impenetrable darkness,

That neither sun nor joy can imbue,

Why have I been cursed with this plague,

Delivering pain to the four winds of my soul.

~

Overwhelming sadness clutches me to her bosom,

Offering me nothing but anguish,

Have I not been tormented enough,

Stripped and laid bare to the elements.

~

God and science offer no comfort,

For the troubled mind worships it’s own demons,

I have prayed to exercise them,

Yet found the only panacea is time.

~

With night, slumber offers me respite,

Time for healing,

Calm for the erratic mind,

Hope for a clearer perspective at dawn.

An Incoherent Mind

By D. R. DiFrancesco

Being pulled from side-to-side,

My mind,

A menagerie of disjointed thought.

Attempts at composure,

An act of self-deprecation,

Leading me further into disarray.

What do I do?

Emotions have no focus,

Every path a winding dead end.

Holding me back,

Racked between chaos and cognition,

Drowning in confusion.

I urge myself to take a breath,

Empty my tortured mind,

If only for a night.

Hoping for thoughts to regain composure,

I know this too shall pass,

It always does.

In the meantime,

Wallowing in this mire, that is my mind,

I will wait.