Do you feel thankful
Given the bounty possessed
Remorseless in greed
~~
Riches plaster walls
The smell of money lingers
Eyes closed to the poor
~~
To show charity
Draws empathy to the plight
Still poverty lives
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Tag Archives: poetry
I Am
Image credit – optionalpha.com
This imperfect surface
Skin, hair, nails is not me
I am in my head
Emotion, hopes, dreams, ambitions
Wrapped in this disposable package
No bottle can contain what can’t be seen
Cut me and I bleed, red and warm
Still you’ve taken nothing from me
I have not been altered
Love, compassion, disgust
Strong as before, they did not seep from the wound
It may scar, raised and ugly, but I surely will heal
These afflictions are but temporary
Simple setbacks that only strengthen my character
You trip me
The fall leaves me scraped and bruised
Black, blue and painful to the touch
This is not the first time I have fallen
Most certainly I will fall again, this is part of life
Scraps heal and bruises will disappear without a trace
And I will continue on, a better person for the experience
Passion, sadness, tenacity, empathy
These help define the real me to the world
I am not the face you see on the street
I am not the clothes that I wear
I am not what I present to the naked eye
What I am is so much more
Masquerading behind what you observe
Look deeper, discard what you see
Take your time, a surprise awaits you
The treasure I offer is there for the taking
I will show you the real me if you are bold enough to ask
So ask, be bold
You will find that I am emotion, hopes, dreams, ambitions
I am love, compassion, disgust
I am passion, sadness, tenacity, empathy
And I am so much more
Not all that I am is good
I am imperfect in my humanness
Constantly evolving into who I want to be
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Ravaged By Nature
Sullied winds chatter chimes lashed to greyed beams
Warped and splitting with age, appear none too long for this world
With each ring an angel must surely get their wings
As remuneration for a melody so heavenly revealed
~~
Steps crippled, squeal as mice in traps are bound to do
Bowing under the burden of the weary traveler
Fortitude ingrained, revives the weakened conscripts
Whose preparation has made them cordial adversaries
~~
Tawny hinges weathered by sun, beaten by the wind cry in pain
Remorse etched into their hammered finish confesses their age
Chagrined by subjugation, the door slams
Announcing defeat to it’s audience of none
~~
Dark but for dust pirouetting through muted shafts of light
Stirred by shuffling boots, tattered and worn thin by extended employ
Creaking under foot, floorboards rebel in unison with their owner
Shrunken and contorted from the weight of existence
~~
Ping of coils break the stagnant silence of the vessel
Sagging lumpy seat replaces a once firm cushion
A quiet ah, escapes from the lungs in expiration
Sense of relief but for the strain of fabric
~~
Cracking joints echo of broken glass in freefall
Legs wobble by exhausted mortise and tenon
Laden with rings, table balances precariously in an uncomfortable dance
Unsteady and unsure, time has reaped it’s revenge
~~
Tired well beyond youth, mortality returns from holiday
Waiting to reveal what lay interred beyond these walls
Neither refinish nor repair prolong to eternity
Only temporary and finite are the workings of men
~~
Man conspires with the dwelling in cosmic ways
Each subject to the ravages of the lifetime moment
Materially morphing into a shell of the original creation
Inevitably conceding to nature’s crowing fate
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Fisherman’s Welcome
Feather floating noiseless to the sand far below,
To rest on dunes erupting in granulated waves.
~~
Their spartan populous withdrawn by storm and tide,
Only to reappear like immigrants in distant lands.
~~
Screeching cries of gulls flock shatter silence,
Angels tipped in black searching for the days next meal.
~~
Insatiable appetite wills winged soldiers onward,
Scavenging for fish or for crab or for worm.
~~
Fisherman’s friends are the dunes and the gulls,
A beacon to the nearness of home.
~~
The boat is a shepherd towing gulls in it’s wake,
Swooping low to put eyes on the catch.
~~
Port is in sight, but this does not deter,
Showing neither fear of man or of sea.
~~
A nod of the head and a knowing smile shared,
Eases pain from their back breaking chores.
~~
Loved ones await braving inclement weather,
To welcome the unsung with open arms.
~~
The next home-bound crews will be greeted in like,
With the dunes and the gulls as their mates.
~~
This is how it must be and how it always has been,
For granted these men do not take.
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Buying the Farm
No more will fields of cotton or corn stalks wave
Where winds of progress sow their seed
Generations weep the sweat they gave
Betrayed by faceless corruption and greed
~~
Agrarian ways sold to the highest bidder
Weakened by a nations diminished resolve
Ill effects they fail to consider
Of a livelihood they so nonchalantly dissolve
~~
Our sustenance awarded to foreign lands
No thought given to our founding traditions
So many necessities taken out of our hands
Forcing this debtor nation into submission
~~
John Deere once green sits plagued with rust
Barns and silos like monuments sit vacant
Conglomerate farmers betraying our trust
Their harvests destined for the seafront
~~
Farms and fields are no longer held sacred
Mere property to be bartered, bought and sold
Paid not to plant so many acres left arid
There is more money in building homes we are told
~~
We’ve sold off our future for a profit it seems
Self-sufficiency a thing of the past
Our founders would tremble at the love of excess we deem
Prized more highly than that which will last
~~
The road on which we travel is a perilous one its true
Its course for our own sake we must alter
Lack of fortitude to do what we know we must do
To a second place status we will falter
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Mistress of the Sea
Barnegat Lighthouse – New Jersey – USA
An elegant lady stands a silent watch
Never taking rest or wavering in her duties
Decades of battering by nor’easter, ice and tropical gale are for naught
She may be worn and tired, but she remains strong in her resolve
Wind swept torrents are no match for her refinement
An A-line of red and white graces her elegant stony figure
Utilitarian in dress and form make her no less lovely
Many a man has looked upon her with starstruck affection
Standing tall, her crown highlights her magnificence
With eyes crystal clear and bright, she was born to see the unseen
Beholden to her unwavering radiance are those forever in her debt
She has comforted countless souls lost in nights hollow embrace
Surely treachery amongst the shoals would spell certain doom
Taking their hands, she leads them to certain safety
Welcoming ports embrace them by her blessing
Returning them back to family and loved ones unscathed
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Lady San Estrella
Dark and exposed after eons under the sculptor’s chisel
Laid naked to the elements and the seasons
Sharp, jagged and formidable, few dare confront you
Either out of fear or rightful respect
~~
A few fools dare scale your rocky crags in quest of your treasures
Cutting deep into your subterranean veins
Drawing out your blood and secrets through violent means
Leaving hollows only to be left abandoned once bled dry
~~
Still this does not detract from the adoration of your admirers
The saguaros raise their arms to the sky in praise
Brave faced monolith, you offer comfort in spite of the desecration
Providing shelter to those that dwell under your protection
~~
Your strength and bravery are none diminished
Inspite of the riches stolen from your purse you hold your head high
Taking revenge on those with careless intentions
Showing no remorse in light of the pains you’ve endured
~~
It could be said that nature has been cruel to you
Yet you have not taken this to heart
Your life can not be counted in mere mortal years
Since you have outlived those that laid claim to your precious abundance
~~
Our prayer is that your future holds you in appreciation and respect
No more to cut and scar your rough hewn beauty
You are a wonder to behold
To be looked upon with reverence as the creator intended
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Brokenhearted
When passions fail tears bathe the wounded soul
Drowning the pain so freely inflicted
Hurt is temporary by design so be unyielding
Willing arms are outstretched to comfort you
You will not be abandoned for I am with you always
~~
No words need spoken
Your silence speaks the volumes of emotion enveloping you
My heart is torn and bleeding in your agony
Tearing at me like shards of shattered glass
Razor sharp and unrelenting in intensity
~~
Healing seems impossible amongst the ruin of betrayal
But you must have the courage to trust again
Take my hands and give me all of your sorrow
This is what my love and friendship tender
Without condition or reservation
~~
Know that you are adored by those around you
Your loss and heartbreak is shared with compassion
Drawing out that which tortures your spirit
Leaving you consoled and warm
Able to experience love again
~~ By D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Circle of Fools
Tightropes walk to the edge of ruin
Foresight focused on the next coronation
Selfish air about you floats
Ignoring the subjects by whom you’re appointed
~~
Millions seek your help after natures disaster
WIth backs turned and blinders on you drift away
Crying our duty has been faithfully done
Shameful and disgraceful are your exploits
~~
You led us to this precipice as arrogant fools will do
Tug-o-war played with lives of no consequence
Calls to work go unheeded in deafened halls
Leaving the masses pondering their fate
~~
Pointing fingers and placing blame like two year olds do
Holding your breath until your face turns blue
Shouting foul to the constituency
Hoping for some semblance of sympathy
~~
Feigning sincerity is not your passion
Ploys thrown about for the cameras leave us hollow
Begging for guidance and utopia in a barren wasteland
Sadly hope falls just out of reach
~~
Choosing to live or eat should not be in question
As human beings should these not be our unalienable right
Many of you say no all for the saving of a dollar
While claiming vociferously that we are a Christian nation
~~
Bloody and battered we hope for change
Praying diplomacy and common decency once again rears it’s head
Instead replacing cordiality with dissension
We are left drowning in a torrent of despair
~~
Harbor not ill will towards those who have entrusted
Compromise in our eyes is not an unclean word
Stubbornness and procrastination will lead to certain demise
Catapulting a once great dominion into irreparable ruin
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Nature’s Beauty – Haiku
Image credit – firstpeople.us
By D. R. DiFrancesco
~~~~~
Light as a feather
Wind dances through the treetops
Summoning the Gods
~~~~~
The moon overhead
Keeps watch over it’s subjects
While they soundly sleep
~~~~~
Winding rivers flow
Steadily toward open sea
Free from all constraint
~~~~~
Mountains majesty
Big Horns rule the rocky crags
Where others fear tread
Dom DiFrancesco 