A simpler life
Could any of us live it
Like that of Gandhi
Living in moderation
Among the less fortunate
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Tag Archives: poverty
White Noise
Waking to the rhythmic white noise
Television’s twinkling salt and pepper blur
Foil covered rabbit ears like periscopes
Reflect his fractured image…almost blinding
It hurts to sit up straight
Back hunched from decades of labor
Crumbs drop like snow from his cardigan
“What did I eat?”, he mumbles on deaf ears
As gnarled and twisted hands
Brush his remnants to the floor
Feed for roaches and rats that call this home
Day and time are of little concern
What does it matter.
Tormented knees crack
Perched unsteadily beneath him
All he can do is shuffle holding on for balance
The refrigerator fights back as he opens it
The dim light only blackens the mouldy fresco
Decorating the walls and shelves.
Spoiled milk curls the nose
“Been around awhile.” he whispered
Paying it no more mind
Warm beer will have to do
The crack of the tab and the “pusssssh”
Join the metronomic shuffle of his stocking feet
Moaning, he sits
Joints aching from medicine he can’t afford
Alcohol will have to do
Each sip provides little relief
Tired of living his eyes grow heavy
Sleep returns…to the rhythmic white noise
And the televisions salt and pepper blur
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Boarded Windows
Boarded windows,
Graffiti covered,
Paint peeling,
Chain link rusted,
Grass overgrown,
Strewn with litter,
Sidewalks cracked,
Shutters hanging,
Door unhinged,
Doorbell silent,
No one home,
For Sale sign,
Bank owned,
No ones buying,
House after house,
Block after block
City after city,
All the same,
Plant closed,
Jobs left,
Gone for good,
Overseas,
What to do
Same old question,
Same old answer,
No food,
No home,
No job,
No one cares.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Welcome to the New Main Street – A Tanka
Hope springs eternal
Just a phrase to so many
Whose hope has faded
Left destitute and alone
Welcome to the new Main Street
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Let’s Hear It For The Gipper
Image Credit: whitehouse.gov
An embarrassment lay before the trustees feet.
No courage, no diplomacy from the ivory seats.
~~
They bicker and fight at the masses expense,
Void of logic this makes absolutely no sense.
~~
Elected to do all the peoples good work,
To captain the ship with nary a perk.
~~
Not to be so, as their pockets belie,
They weakened the law and stole all the pie.
~~
Neither a sliver did they take nor merely a slice,
They keep going back many times more than twice.
~~
Still as cattle to the polls we can’t help but repeat,
As if we were held to the fire by our feet.
~~
When will the swarm awaken from their dream,
To see that this always has been part of the scheme.
~~
Divide up the nation into haves and have nots,
Feed those without means into the haves corporate plot.
~~
This countries demise may be its own wretched greed,
Blind or not caring for a citizenry in need.
~~
Many poor have been baited that less gives you more,
A theory disproved by many before.
~~
Even Greenspan did admit that “trickle down” was a farce,
The wealth it went up, but the trickle fell sparse.
~~
Thirty years on, on the brink of collapse,
Austerity it is as we watch prosperity lapse.
~~
But still the Gipper’s name is held up enshrined,
His legacy it ticks like a bomb out of time.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Turning a Blind Eye – A Tanka
Image Credit: productiveflourishing.com
Turning a blind eye
Gives momentary relief
But changes nothing
Only actions gets results
Poverty kills if ignored
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Equality – A Haiku
Image Credit: washingtonpost.com
To level the field
Rewrite the class equation
Now we are equal
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Take My Hand
Image,Credit: homesweethomeless.com
A last look…Goodbye;
To this home we once called home.
Tossed out like garbage,
Circumstance counts for nothing.
Outcast by neighbors once friends.
~
Stranded on the streets.
Possibility for work
Without an address,
Hopeless beyond a nightmare.
Where will our family live?
~
In America
This happens far too often.
Promises broken,
Greed and profit motivate,
Leaving us impoverished.
~
“Pick yourself up!”, cried,
“By what?”, when you have nothing?
An offer to help,
A chance to practice what’s preached,
This is our sacred duty.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Are They Asking Too Much
Image Credit: lesiva.deviantart.com
Parents bleed failure
Shattered by their children’s cries
Hungry and dirty
Tortured by their poverty
They look above for relief
But prayers are ignored
They don’t qualify for aid
How poor must you be
In this, the greatest nation
Before they are helped
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Though We Never Met – A Tanka
My dearest of friends
Though our paths have never crossed
Call me your brother
Fall into my outstretched arms
I will be there to catch you
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 