Echoes of laughter
Smiling faces of children
–Innocence at play
Sights, sounds of another time
When being a kid was cool
The cries of hunger
Tears streaming down sunken cheeks
–Modern travesty
While the rich still get richer
Children starve for no reason
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
War damages more than earth and enemy.
Its scars not always visible disfigure,
Taking more than life and limb.
Those once docile and kind seethe with anger
Tearing family, home and heart to shreds.
Longing to coddle the child we once knew
We only serve to alienate.
As a result we remain silent,
Helpless against the inner demons that torment.
We pray they make it back home in one piece,
Yet coming to terms with that which we cannot see
…There is now way to prepare for.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Sullen is my heart
For the deaths of our brethren
And our enemies
In the end we gain nothing
But continued violence
Rejoice not in death
Instead mourn every life lost
With deepest regret
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Pain you cannot see,
Can be heard–
In the wavering of words,
Can be seen–
In the worried expression.
Reliving the past in waking dreams;
Speaking to the invisible that seem so real;
Returning to the present awash with anger.
Ravages of war do not always leave visible wounds–
For the visible may be treated with scalpel and stitch.
That which is unseen may be the most devastating of all,
Lasting a lifetime,
Tormenting, demonizing, incapacitating,
Shattering the spirit.
We see this on the streets,
We see this in the shelters,
We see it on the cardboard signs
And in the tin cans held out by dirty hands,
No place is immune.
These are the ones we turn away,
Diverting our eyes,
Ignoring them as a nuisance,
Wishing they would just go away.
Does not their sacrifice grant them better?
They gave when called,
Offering life and limb;
Permitting us the pursuit of our happiness.
Yet what do we offer in return?
Nothing but contempt.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
My breath floated silently toward Heaven.
I watched as it disappeared
Blending seamlessly with the cloud filled sky.
With upturned collar
I stood with loved ones feeling completely alone;
Such a strange feeling this is.
I had known her for almost fifty years,
But suddenly came to realize…
I scarcely knew her at all.
Self-absorbed with my life, my own family,
Thinking she would always be there
I never thought to ask who she was,
What her life was like,
Even where she born;
It just never occurred to me to ask
And never came up in conversation.
My picture of her had always been the same,
White hair, as white as newly fallen snow,
Her cheek, soft and smooth to the kiss,
Kind and joyful, yet quiet as a mouse;
Always taking a backseat to the love of her life.
Sadly, her time has now passed
Taking with it the story that was her.
I am left to gather up snippets,
Like those tossed on the cutting room floor
Selectively shared second hand.
My chance has passed to hear her story
In the truth that can only come from living it.
No fault can be placed, but on me
So on me alone the fault must lie.
By divine retribution, I stand here,
In the icy chill of winter to bid farewell
To one I loved dearly,
More dearly than she would ever know
And with profound sadness I’ve come to realize
…That I never really knew her at all.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Yet another name
Etched in the blackest granite
Written with their blood
We are called to remember
Each and every spring–in May
Recognizing them
Honoring their families
Their sacrifices
A debt we can not repay
Except with our hearts and minds
Thank you
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
I escaped with my skin though tattered and torn
Yet feeling far less than whole.
Far less like me than when I was born,
A piece of me it seems to have stole.
I ponder this mystery for reason I’ve not,
No finger can I place on the cause.
Giving my attention giving all that I’ve got,
In spite of my inherent flaws.
This feeling I have is an odd one indeed,
There’s nothing I can pinpoint to blame.
My mind the enabler melancholy it feeds,
Insanity is clearly its aim.
For sanity’s sake I must surely let go or suffer the wrath of its grip,
Still deep in my heart I certainly know this only a momentary slip.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Moss, slippery and wet beneath my feet,
Covering the rock and root tangled path I traverse.
Though drenched to the bone I am in ecstasy
For my love awaits by the lake shore.
The melodic sound of the wren announces my arrival,
Yet I am unable to discern whether she is happy or agitated.
No matter, through the mist I spy my lover’s shawl
Resting lazily on a fallen oak.
I call to her, but I am offered no reply.
How perplexing is this predicament.
The mirror like stillness of the lake reveals no trace,
No footsteps point her direction.
What supernal event has befallen her?
Horrible graphic images come to mind.
Did she drown,
Did she fall victim to some unknown villain,
Was she disheartened,
Choosing to stray off as some palliative remedy?
Alas, I am alone,
The fragrant scent of patchouli wafting from her shawl,
This–the only sign she had ever existed,
But for the perfect masterpiece of her kept
By the artist, that is my mind.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco~~
Prompt: Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #8
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #8
The Dove – Alex Alemany
Looking through the haze toward distant shores,
She knows that her love is here no more.
“Lost at sea” the cable said,
Whereabouts unknown they presumed him dead,
But nothing on earth or in heaven can quell,
Her hope against hope it was wrong what they tell.
Still the solitary dove of the purest of white,
Could not quench her anguish as day turned to night.
With palm against pane her pain tore too much,
At the strings of her heart he could no longer touch.
Then a tear weaved its way down her fair tender cheek,
As the knot in her throat silenced her effort to speak.
All she could do was weep for him that was lost,
Ne’er to give up no matter the cost.
She promised him her love forever and all time,
To him and him alone his memory enshrined.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
~
Prompt: Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Photo Prompt #7 – “The Dove”
The church bells toll
Another mother soaked in tears
Another child gone too soon
A shot rang out in the dark
No one heard, no one saw
Just an unnamed face on an urban street
Victim of the violence that thins the herd
Taking a precious piece of our future with it
Cries drowned out with claims of infringement
What then is their answer
Do nothing
An eye for an eye
A gun for more guns
Their solutions absurd
Do we not live in a civilized age
This screams for a change of culture
Banishing hopelessness and despair
Curing symptoms not the disease
With reassurance and help
The offer of a hand when times are tough
Lip service pays them no homage
Hate and mistrust are it’s only spawn
Action in word and deed the only vaccine
Not changing with the times breeds failure
Failure of us all
Failure of the Grand Experiment
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 