Tag Archives: nature

Icy Froth

Icy froth crashes over unshod feet,

Numbing and cramping as they slowly sink into sea-washed sand,

Pant legs soaked with limitless brine.

The gale whips up waves dressed in white one after another,

Chilling me to the bone with cold excitement,

Breath and spirit become one with the undulation.

Sting of salt spray does not deter as I spy the fractured horizon,

Dreaming of serving on the distant freighter

Rising and falling with the swells on it’s way to exotic ports.

What better life is there than to work shoulder-to-shoulder with your brethren

Under sun and on sea,

Conjoined with the natural forces overhead and underfoot.

Were it not for you my love– this destiny I would have fulfilled,

But alas…it was not to be,

For I love you more than the sand, the sun and the sea.

So here I stand,

Looking out on what might have been,

Joyful for what is

And content with what will be.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

A Step Toward Cliffs Edge

A step toward cliffs edge;

Downward falls rock and sand,

Bouncing, ricocheting off stone walls,

Shear and treacherous in route to their destiny.

Equilibrium falters on unsure footing,

Perched high above circling birds,

An unnatural scene for man.

Carved by wind and water

Otherworldly vastness astounds.

Its artist appears a distant ribbon of green-blue

Winding mesas and chasms ,

Ever chiseling to greater and greater depths,

Slow, deliberate, unnoticed by all but the creator.

Revealing what is evident to all but fools;

How abruptly the human spirit can be dashed,

Minimizing our self-aggrandizing achievements.

What feat of man could compare?

We are but amateurs

Crawling in hopes to walk,

Attempting to master the unmasterable,

Devastating perfection, striving to control.

Can we not just appreciate the grandeur,

The depth and breadth of this– Grand Canyon.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Spring Floats on Warm Breeze – A Tanka

Spring floats on warm breeze

Golden rays bronze winters pale

Reincarnation

Rebirth of blossoming soul

Natures call awakening

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Beauty Surrounds

Beauty surrounds,

If we only take time to observe.

Caught in the trap of modernity,

Should we not exalt these wonders,

For the sanctity of nature,

Is most breathtaking to behold.

Our towering buildings, bridges, fountains, sculptures,

All the great works of the ages do not compare.

Man’s achievements are but specks,

Mere blemishes woven into this worldly fabric.

The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the giant redwoods,

the mighty Mississippi, the Rocky Mountains,

Overshadow anything man’s simple mind could envision.

Yet through our mortal determination

We destroy the masterpiece that sustains us.

Let us slow down…

Take a moment to appreciate what surrounds us

Before we further damage this gift we have been given

Leaving nothing but ugliness and regret

To those that will follow.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Cerulean Sky – A Tanka

Cerulean sky

Blackbirds singing in willow

Warm sun on my face

Perfect time for reflection

Under natures pergola

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

For Generations To Follow

How subtle the wind blows through my hair,

Like the gentle caress of a lover’s fingers.

I close my eyes, breathing deeply to draw in my ladies scent,

Warmth rushes my face as her sun shines down upon me,

Is there any sensation more wonderful to the soul.

Sparrows melodic song taunts my feet to tapping,

Keeping time, as though the conductor of natures choir.

Swooping with grace and tenacity I spy the redtail hawk as it startles it’s prey,

Continuing a circle of life that long predates me,

Beautiful yet disturbing in it’s raw aggression,

I remain undeterred by my love and admiration.

The river before me rages rapid over falls and boulder,

Sparkling like the queen she is at her coronation,

Teaming with sockeye driven by their spawn,

As I by the serenity of the wonders around me.

Is not the hand of God most perfect in the wielding of his tools,

Neither man nor science could compare.

I lay down in prayer and praise,

To honor and preserve this masterpiece called earth,

For the generations that surely will follow me.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Walk In The Sun – A Tanka

Image Credit: 1ms.net

Image Credit: 1ms.net

A walk in the sun

Natures call to blossom

Shoots and buds answer

Birds return from winters rest

A beautiful renewal

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Sunrise Light Flickers – A Haiku

Image Credit: thecounselingctr.com

Image Credit: thecounselingctr.com

Sunrise light flickers

As golden shafts breach treetops

Wrapped in nature’s arms

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Savage Beauty

The crimson sky fumes with the rage of desert summer,

Turning springs flowers of gold and lavender to tawny dust.

Scorpion and rattler laze in awe,

Cherishing the warmth of the arid sun.

Cacti dot the plains, green and angry,

Breaking the monotony of the monochrome landscape.

Beneath even the most lovely of spouts lays a heart of bramble,

Drawing first blood from all but the sturdiest patron.

Lonesome ballads of the song dog eclipse the dark silence,

Howling teardrops rain upon the parched surface.

Rife with dwellers only dreamt of in nightmares,

Exotic, ghoulish, yet beautiful,

A vista both barren and thriving beckons.

Calling the adventurous to pay homage,

Genuflecting in respect to this alien canvas.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

A Dream Walk

Do I dare walk this twisted mile

Beneath the sway of the weeping willow canopy.

An aire of pecan and clover

Floats on a warm moist wind,

Hypnotizing my senses.

Lured like steel to magnet

I saunter on my dream swept way.

Grassy fields cropped to a dandy’s perfection,

Paint a canvas of green

Dimpled with the smiling faces of daisies.

In the distance,

The silhouette of a weary plow horse

Pinches the emerald horizon,

As it grazes to reinvigorate.

With each yard strode,

A cloud of dust, summoned by my wake

Climbs to the heavens,

Whisked skyward by the tepid breeze.

Stricken by the silence,

Only the swirling song of  Morning Doves for company,

I reminisce of a time before my time.

What simplicity in this wanton beauty,

If only this were home.

 ~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~