Tag Archives: peace

The Quiet

How eerily quiet it is

As dusk rushes in to part day from night.

The birds song falls silent,

Screaming to a deprived auditory,

A favorite time of day.

Providing respite to the senses,

Relief from the noise and chaos,

The pollution that ravages solace.

So few are these moments of silence;

The bombardment of the modern world sees to that.

Sights, sounds, electronics, social media,

Flooding, desensitizing, minimizing,

Reducing humanity to its possessions.

Instant gratification,

Constant entertainment,

Mindless busyness with little reward

Fill the hours of the every day.

Meditation,

Peacefulness of sleep,

Simple reading,

Communion with thoughts

Are endeavors relegated to antiquity if so ignored.

The natural joys of quiet revitalize,

Bringing balance to the imbalances of life.

With eyes closed, in silence,

The beating of the heart

Will become the song in the mind

Reconnecting spirit to nature and humanity.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Casual Observers

Are we not all but casual observers

This game…though not such a game that governments play

What is it they do not tell us in the name of our own good

Who are they to decide what serves us best

Are these not our lives, our futures, our hopes, our dreams

They toy with these for their own folly

For the sake of national pride we label others as evil

Without looking within at our own flaws

Puffing chests, bellicose, with an arrogance befitting fools

Answering tit-for-tat with ever greater threats of destruction

This chain of ceaseless violence, when will it subside

Years of pain, years of suffering have taken their toll on this weary nation

I ask, what have we won, show me…show us

Do we need another war, more bloodshed of the innocent,

Further sacrifices by our brave men and women delivered as pawns

for subversive economic gain

Isn’t it time to seek peace after so much loss

And break this cycle of violence.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

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 ~~

Solitude

Solitude scares me not as I wallow in the quiet.

Exquisite silence joins me, sits beside me like an old friend,

Placing a congratulatory arm around me in comfort.

As refreshing as a hot bath or a shot of Glenlivet;

Sharpening the senses as a razors edge,

Carving away at the clutter of modernity,

Replacing it with the simple rhythms of my own beating heart.

At times, as joyous as intimacy,

Energizing and euphoric yet primitive;

Cleansing the mind, lifting the soul.

This rejuvenation, one of the great pleasures of life,

Elementary in conception, is often not easily obtained

As responsibilities, self-imposed or otherwise throw up their gauntlets.

Unavoidable without effort in our hectic sphere;

Time for self must be apportioned for sanity’s sake

If we are to live healthful and fruitful lives.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Come Tranquility – A Haiku

Image Credit: tripwow.tripadvisor.com

Image Credit: tripwow.tripadvisor.com

Come tranquility

My essence beckons you home

Tears have subsided

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Not So Different – A Tanka

Passing the fence line

Cattle and antelope mixed

Sharing grass as kin

Perhaps this is a lesson

Unlike but living in peace

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Shame of Intolerance

Drama perseveres,
We remain shackled and chained to our past,
Bound to ideals thought long ago buried.
~~
Under the same sky we are born and die,
Returned back to the earth caste-less.
~~
Equality seems a distant dream.
~~
We feign to have grown,
Only to rebound to our stunted ways,
Taking aim at the latest victim.
~~
Shouldn’t we be color blind to the flesh by now,
Incomprehensible is it to have to legislate,
Over and over and over.
~~
These delusions are not the end,
Fear mongering has become both sport and folly,
Substituting understanding for hostility and ignorance,
Attempting to rally the naive.
~~
Those that hide behind their faith,
Calling evil, those beliefs that differ,
Claiming superiority,
Believe the propaganda.
~~
We think we have progressed,
Advanced beyond infantile characterizations,
But we have not, we have digressed ,
Becoming more intolerant.
~~
Residents of the rainbow are criticized and shamed,
As if their orientation was free will,
Demoralizing them as abominations before God.
~~
Shallow and nescient is your moral constitution,
When will those of conscience rise up,
Ushering in diversity and equality.
~~
Freeing those marginalized by a witless society,
To live full and fulfilling lives.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Inner Peace

By D. R. DiFrancesco

~~~~~~~

The dust settles like a blanket on the troubles of the day

As evening sets, stress and worry dissolve into nothingness

Prodding a smile to softens the creases in my face

~~~

With eyes closed I can see a new me, reborn in spirit

Negativity gives way to bliss as I fill myself with abundant joy

Are not love and happiness the keys to a full life

~~~

What love can be given from a saddened heart

It would be insincere or at the least passive

Not what one needing to be cherished deserves

~~~

Sharing happiness is inconceivable out of misery

While living in distress, jubilance lies repressed corrupting the essence

This most surely is undeniable

~~~

As heart and mind refocus on what’s good in this world

I find myself in soulful contemplation of who I am

Questioning who I’m supposed to be

~~~

Through enlightenment I have come to love myself

Not selfishly, but sufficiently to project onto others

Filling me with joy and a sense of inner peace making me a better man

Solace

credit – whitegadget..com

By D. R. DiFrancesco

~~~~~

What beauty this world has on offer

The natural and spiritual surrounds us but we do not see

Too busy with the distractions of the material

Simplicity in the song of the bird

The majestic wonder of the mountain

The desolate elegance of the desert

The mystery of God

Lost among our earthly pursuits

With eyes closed and head arched towards heaven

My mind banishes pain, suffering and torment

Solitude seeps into my bones

A sense of peace forgotten floods my subconscious

The smell of wildflowers

The flutter of the hummingbirds wings

The lonesome howl of the coyote

The joy of spiritual oneness

Sights, sounds and smells I have long ignored

I can almost feel the arms of God drawing me close

Tears shed for time wasted dissipate in a divine awakening

Renewal washes over me

The material is no long all consuming

Reborn with a new sense of purpose

Filled with the glory of nature and the solemnity of nirvana

I have once again found solace and peace in this finite life

All through that which had always lay before me

But I could not see

Monarch’s Reign

Monarch Butterfly

By D. R. DiFrancesco

~~

Mandarin,white, obsidian glory,

Exquisite majesty soaring,

Graceful feathery flutter,

Whisper silent utter.

~

Fairy tale grace inspired,

Marathon distance flier,

Born in natures swaddle,

Angelic infants toddle.

~

Innocent beauty undercover,

Lives to boast a princely lover,

Short lived romance symphony plays,

‘Til they part on dying days.

~

Crown jeweled natures elegance,

Wings rhythm heavenly trance,

King and Queen exalted royalty,

Nobility commands subjects loyalty.

~

Behold honors modest atonement,

Loveliness granted in its moment,

Rembrandt’s stroke to you would pale,

God’s paragon winged angel you sail.

Image: monarch-butterfly.info