The “ribbit” of the frog
Sitting on his lilypad,
He lashes out for winged morsels,
Mear bits to sustain–
He never complains.
Enough it is for him to sit
Watching day turn to night
And night to day.
Never bored,
Never desiring more,
He lives by heaven’s design.
Lazy–he is not!
Wanting for nothing
He is content.
I long to be like the frog
Taking only what I need,
Wanting nothing more,
Living by my nature…
Simplicity.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Much needed rain
Though drought it does not ease.
Standing outside gazing,
Looking skyward, thankful.
River and road become one before us
As cool muddy water rushes
To where no one knows.
We know this will not last–
Blistering heat will return to scorch our soles,
But it does not deter from this pleasantry.
Residents of desert and dwelling
Pleasure in this temporary reprieve.
Flowers dormant burst from their rocky tombs.
Living only days–
They know they are numbered
Falling prey to the vacationing solstice.
Withering to dust–
They return to the earth from whence they came.
This cycle they know oh so well.
Like the waters, all things recede
Back to the source of their creation
In hopes of reemerging one day
To grace the earth with their wondrous presence.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Beauty fades;
Stripped of color
Under unrelenting sun.
Once vibrant petals
Brown and crumble,
Scattering dust and seed
To the four winds.
A life run its course
Gives birth to the next generation
Through its death in the dawn of spring.
Never regretting,
Never questioning its fate
It gives itself unapologetically
For the propagation of their future.
As with all living things
We are here for a brief time
To live,
To spawn,
To die,
Returning to the earth
From which we came.
A cycle that has repeated itself
For eternity.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
I am like water
Soft and pliable yet strong
Moving with the tide
Always going with its flow
Until I meet destiny
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
How intricate the knots,
The thread so delicate,
I scarcely ever noticed before.
How often had I torn them down
Treating them as a nuisance.
Perhaps out of ignorance,
Perhaps out of misplaced fear,
Picturing a threat where one did not exist.
Without prompt I stopped in my tracks,
Marvelling at this masterpiece
Spun from the lowly spider.
Her web so unlike the tangles of man,
Perfect and symmetrical,
Designed with a divine purpose.
Not to deceive…nay,
But to live and to feed
As the Creator intended.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
The sun still rose as I knew it would,
The birds sang their songs,
The winds blew strong,
The grass remained green just as it should.
In dawns dim light I opened my eyes,
My wife lay sleeping by my side,
My children in the next rooms reside,
All of these cause joy in my heart to rise.
The waters flow cooling parched earth,
The skies still a brilliant shade of blue,
The flowers bloom as they always do,
These more valuable than material worth.
Life continues like every other day,
As it has O’ these fifty years on,
Caring not the least as each new day dawns,
For it knows no other way.
I guess I’m just part of this natural flow,
Arriving then passing with time,
Like the bird and the beast and the tree and the vine,
I’ll receive my calling to go.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
As the moon rises and the sun bids a fond adieu,
As the final shafts of amber day fade to black,
There is a gentle stillness that overcomes earth and man,
One that’s existed since time began.
Our winged friends song falls on silent deaf ears,
Replaced by the somber tune of cricket and cicada.
The rustling of leaves ring vivid to the senses,
Once undetectable amongst the chaos of the day.
Even the lowly housefly finds solace in dusk
Vanishing from sight with nights approach.
Simple is this time where rest encroaches
Though absent of life it is not.
Those of nocturnal bend do rise,
As they live the fullest of lives amongst the shadows.
The lonesome and distant howl echoes in the night,
The song of the owl a signal to impending prey.
These embraced as a welcome tune
Sing me to sleep under starry sky.
Nature–peaceful in all its glory is my lover,
Holding me in her tender arms until we rise with the dawn,
To kiss the newest day.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Unusual for its heavenly glory,
A simple yet wondrous beam of light;
All colors of the spectrum shining bright.
I would have thought it a rainbow,
But for my own eyes.
Sun outlined in a thin veil of clouds–
It could not be restrained
Spilling its multicolored hues upon the earth;
A perfect column leading straight to heaven.
Mesmerized, I gazed open mouthed,
Would I have perceived this prior,
In my haste would I have been as if blind?
Beauties claim is not staked by the material alone,
This I’ve come to realize.
I’ve opened my eyes,
I’ve opened my ears,
I’ve opened my mind,
And was astonished by the effervescent world…
That surrounds me.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
O’ brilliant bud, how thy beauty fills me,
Looking upon thy delicate petals bloom.
Heaven sent–I see birth within thee,
Erupting with grace from nature’s womb.
~
How perfect art thee O’ simple flower,
Delicately sculpted by the hand of God.
Splendid creation through wondrous power,
Where mortal man darest not trod.
~
Thy life doth mimic that of our own,
So brief, blooming into the loveliest rose.
Until thy beauty fades as time hath shown,
Returning to dust, on north wind blows.
~
Regrets they’ve none for none required,
When thy final day comes and ye lay down tired.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
The circle,
Crimson hooded,
Black robed wickens of sorts.
Dancing around the dead,
Salivating in anticipation,
A feast of flesh and bones.
No ill will did they harbor,
Nor wish for victims demise;
Fate granted them favor.
Not at Satan’s command,
This is their nature.
Despised by the living
As a filthy wretched horde,
Outcasts of nature
Though their purpose is divine.
They are mocked and ridiculed,
Loathed and feared,
Still they offer back to the earth
What the earth has taken.
The vulture’s cry–
A lonesome song.
Treated as lepers of the sky,
Precious are they…
In the natural chain.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 