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 ~~
Just as guilty am I,
Wallowing in self-pity,
Focusing on the negative, worrying,
Blaming others for my station
Trying to will destiny to my vision
Instead of trusting in the Divine.
I need not worry;
All things will be as they should
Without my intervention.
I must flow like the river
Fluid and forgiving ‘til the end
If I am to be one with the Spirit.
I know that suffering is unnecessary
This life is full of abundance,
The Tao will provide for me
Giving me all that I need
By showing me the Way.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
In perfect rhythm were tens of feet
Marching in splendid highstep.
With matching coats and plumes replete
Traveling over instead of sidestep.
Colors grand they proudly wave
Like soldiers in Her Majesties charge.
A steady pace each pair they gave
O’er obstacles both small and large.
A wondrous sight this was indeed
From a creature so vulnerable and small.
Normally fodder for shoe heel stampede
In hypnotic gaze I was enthralled.
The older I get the more I amaze
At creatures so often ignored.
Nothing have I than honest high praise
For the creature that once was abhorred.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Lightning tears the sky
Shattering heaven’s crystal
God’s fragile canvas
~~ 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 ~~
Wildflowers grow
Anywhere their roots take hold
Children of this world
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
I walked the fields and deserts,
Swam the lakes and oceans,
Breathed in the crisp mountain air,
Strolled the floor of the grandest of canyons,
Gazed into the clear blue sky,
Survived the darkest of storms,
Searching…
Seeking something I had already found.
It surrounded me always,
Was under every footstep,
Flowed gracefully around me with every stroke,
Was visible to me though I could not see,
Shone down upon me from the heavens,
Drenched me in every downpour.
It is in every cell, every vein of my being.
The Divine was always present,
Always enveloping me.
Though it has taken a lifetime,
I finally realize I AM.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Lament the death of our rivers,
Mourn the toxicity of our air.
Ground once fertile, now parched
Turned desert through our own creation.
Crops wilted and brown
Turn to dust in the noon day sun.
Forests deprived of their lushness
Erode with the slightest hint of rain.
Ravenous pits left barren–
Raped of their precious innocence.
Fracking and drilling–
Consequences of looming disaster ignored.
Ceaseless development choking out nature
Exterminating both the large and the small.
Extinction of whole species despised
When confronting progress.
Denying climate change as a left-wing concoction
Though science the world over proves otherwise.
I watch as all manner of pollution and greed desecrates out world.
Those that speak out are damned as tree-huggers,
Anti-free market liberals, un-American, communists, socialists, unpatriotic.
Is not defending this planet noble?
Do we not owe this fight to our children and their children?
If we can prevent further degradation do they not deserve it?
We have witnessed this day coming,
Nature has foretold of its demise for many a generation at the hands of man
Yet we chose not to see!
Ignorance my friends is not bliss,
It is selfish and egotistical,
It is born of indifference and hate,
Its offspring is ruin and our own extinction!
For what–
A few pieces of silver,
Prestige, accolades, the ivory tower?
What good is any of this if the earth succumbs to carnage?
Take a moment to look at the grandeur of what surrounds you,
This is magnificence beyond any designs of man.
Breathe its air,
Drink of its pure waters,
Gaze with wonder upon its fertile plains,
Glorious mountains, vast and tranquil oceans,
Before it is too late,
For this is true divinity without measure.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Image Credit johneasley.com
The woodpecker knocks
Avoiding saguaro’s thorns
An amazing feet
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Song from the rooftop
A morning dove calls its mate
~~ Nature’s alarm clock
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 