Image Credit: squidoo.com
A mist clouds the room
Shadow figures menace me
Overwhelmed by dread
Covers clutched over my head
I pray for intercession
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Shadow Figures – A Dark Tanka
Tag Archives: scared
Hell’s Minion – A Dark Poem
Image Credit: goodreads.com
A mist lay o’er the old town square,
As candles flicker in cottage eyes,
To venture out, no one may dare,
Emboldened fool will surely die.
~
In darkened night the moon lay black,
Unearthly pitch to ward off man,
Fear for those who’ve not come back,
Fell prey to Satan’s ghastly plan.
~
Yon forest breaths the caw of crows,
Hoot Owls cry echoes resound,
In what direction no one knows,
From high above the mossy ground.
~
What Hell bestowed on sky and earth,
In shrill and curdling scream,
Instilled by evils wretched birth,
Unfurled in nightmarish dream.
~
The butcher lay to weed us out,
His sickle bathed in blood and spoils,
Gullet cut, no voice to shout,
Easy prey…Nay! sweatless toil.
~
Demon cloaked in onyx murk,
Ne’er seen with mortal’s naked view,
O’ terror, we shan’t let caution shirk,
Vigilant we must all struggle through.
.~
Pray to God the sun will rise,
Beseech the villain back to Hell,
Look upon Heaven to flay disguise,
Release from prison where we dwell.
~
Still sun will set and night will grow,
No closer to trapping the horrid beast,
In faces of strangers and kin we know,
Who next be the blood bathed gory feast.
~
A tap at the door…whom by God could it be,
Overwhelmed with the play of the mind,
Ever slow did I open through pitch could not see,
Peeking head ‘round the door from behind.
~
Twas it wind, or rain, mayhaps a stone at it threw,
I presumed was a knock at the door,
Mustered courage did I gather to do what I must do,
As I shuffled myself to the porch.
~
An icy chill did rise, up the length of my spine,
As the door slammed behind me with haste,
Extinguishing candles, immersing me blind,
Backing up in my steps I did trace.
~
My next to last step to my knees did I fall,
At the boots of a figure in black,
Turning ‘round, sure to face my funeral pall,
To the side of my head he did crack.
~
Taste of blood on my lips, as the iron from a fire,
Blurred vision as I’m yanked by my hair,
To my feet I was dragged to the square of the shire,
Say a word, nay I wouldn’t have dared.
~
In silence, with strength this devil held tight,
Pray I did, for my soul to please save,
As courage I gathered with all of my might,
I begged for my death to be staved.
~
With sickle in hand I knew time was through,
Pay the piper for sins of my youth,
Upright and firm, though in pain it was true,
In death sins be hidden from truth.
~
Blade razor sharp from my neck blood did fall,
Crimson rivers down my chest it did spill,
A stroke from the edge warm and tired was all,
Up to God I commit all my will.
~
When daybreak did come to reveal gruesome site,
To Hell where the demon had fled,
Nary trace did he leave from his pitch darkened flight,
Except for the shire dwellers head.
~
A century on, Satan’s minion ne’er captured,
Legend passed down through third generations,
Unsettled and fearful still awaiting the rapture,
Asking God for consoling libations.
~~~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dread of Night
Howling winds under amber moon,
Barren oaks crackle dry and brittle,
Skipping leaves rustle, dead and fallen,
As dogs aghast, bay at the dreadful night,
How eerie trembling in fright unfolds.
Shadows long and deep bury the living,
Cast down upon the earth in a tumultuous dance,
Sights and sounds of Hell inspired.
Whilst blackened figures roam unhindered,
Tricking eyes and mind to terror.
Spying what in logic can not be real,
Hence, even this is of no solace,
As synapse take their nightmarish toll,
Painting masterpiece of horror contrived.
With shutters locked taut, to hold back the fear,
Blankets drawn tight up over head,
Eyes pursed hard to block out the light,
We lay in silence to hide from the dead.
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Parental Anxiety – A Haiku
Image Credit: jrlawfirm.com
The birth of a child
Brings turbulent emotions
For fear of failure
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Here Today Gone Tomorrow
Calloused hands cracked and bleeding
Ne’er a chance to heal
Family counting on the sweat of labor
For sustenance
And a roof overhead
Nothing more matters in this world
Molten steel pays the bills
Scalded skin and blisters overtime
And he’ll go it again tomorrow
The mill a second home
Thirty years, a day never missed
But what matter does it make
Pink slips are coming
Jobs moving overseas
Loyalty counts for nothing these days
Just a number easily erased
Profits put ahead of people
Born of cheaper labor in the Far East
Silence over dinner
Uncertainty an unwelcomed guest
Visits every evening
Wifes eyes offer comfort
Hidden deep, she knows there is none
How to go on
Everything lost
Skilled to do little else
Some would call this progress
Another unnamed martyr
Of the corporate machine
~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~
Love Lost in a Mind Field
By D. R. DiFrancesco
~~~~
I turn to find you gone,
This windowless doorless prison smothers me,
Stilling my bloodied heart,
All that is left to me are tears.
~~
Why did she leave, echos in my tormented head,
A whisper nagging at my last nerve,
Shuddering at the thought of abandonment,
Trapped and curled in a position most fetal.
~~
Questioning my very existence,
I claw at the walls wailing for release,
Nails broken, crimson shards surround me,
Dropping to my knees I sit in utter defeat.
~~
A darkness sets as I fall prone,
Naked and vulnerable the coarse stone chills me to the bone,
Jagged sharpness scars tender flesh,
Dulling the pain of your retreat.
~~
I struggle for composure,
Reaching out in the dark praying for your touch,
Doomed, I’m left drowning in solitary silence,
Drenched in the perspiration of despair.
~~
Why have I been left to this hellish place,
Did I not offer enough of myself to you,
Did I not cradle you in my loving passion,
What else could I have done?
~~
Sobbing I struggle to breathe,
Lamenting your loss I pound at the blood stained floor,
Begging for merciful forgiveness,
Your reply…only suffocating solitude.
~~
Passing seems imminent,
In desperation, euthanasia would be welcome,
I couldn’t have deserved such loneliness,
Quivering with exhaustion, I drift eternal sleep.
~~
Startled in a flush of adrenaline,
Wringing with sweat I strain to rise,
Where have you been, dribbles from my jaw tight lips,
Her blue eyes speak, by your side, to my nightmarish dream.
Twilight’s Aftermath
By D. R. DiFrancesco
Awaken me so that I can feel the life-blood course through my veins
Pulsing, gushing, bringing warmth to every limb
In the black of night I begged to be revived
Slapped to consciousness by the maker’s almighty hand
I balk as I look down upon my lifeless vessel
Seemingly floating, weightless and translucent
Hearing every word, but unable to speak
Painless yet terrified of missed goodbyes
I try to scream, still nary a sound can be made
Cold and motionless I try to shake myself from this God forsaken slumber
They never said it would feel like this
Bright lights, almost blinding
I can see them, though my eyes are shut tight
How can this be
No one is calling me home, just bright lights and heat
Voices, huddled, cocktail party conversation
Its hard to swallow, parched and cracking
Hello…I’m here, can’t you see me…I can hear you
No response
Laughter and echoed unintelligible sounds drown me out
This can’t be happening
Black…
Oh God, its gone black
The lights are gone and its black as night
Voices implode into deafening silence
Eyelids flutter revealing fog distorted faces
Softer lights sting my eyes
Sounds come into focus, echo-less and clear
I can feel
I can speak
Fear subsides as the sweat is wiped from my brow
Twilight’s affects begin to wane
I am me…
I am alive
And I am well
The Beast
By D. R. DiFrancesco
Red is the moon,
Supernatural in it’s beauty
Frightening in it’s difference,
A distant howl shatters the dead quite night.
A mid-summer chill gnaws at my bones,
Trees casting shadows black as pitch,
Swaying in an unnatural dance,
Again, the wolf’s howl pierces the darkness.
Myths of old dash through my mind,
Illusions fog my senses,
Feeling helpless in the sight of the unseen,
Hastening my step to reach safety, but why?
The sound of footsteps,
Intermingling, then silencing my own,
I stop to listen,
Nothing but the wind rustling invisible folliage.
Sweat beads on my brow,
Dripping in torrents,
Clouding my vision and stinging my eyes,
Lips chapping cold, salty, hard to breathe.
Strangeness strangles me,
The howls are closer now, more frequent,
I strain to maintain composure,
Certainly this must be in my head.
My pace quickens as does my heartbeat,
Trying to outrun the howl,
Peering wide-eyed, over left shoulder then right,
Limbs and briars tear at my flesh.
Staggering confusion overtakes me,
Nothing seems familiar or friendly,
Sounds magnified with my heightened sense of awareness,
Stumbling, disoriented, trembling with fear.
But why?
Could it not be a dog?
A pet gone astray?
They say dogs are man’s best friend.
Behind me, in front of me, the howl,
They’re close now,
Growls, deep and guteral snap me back,
From the four winds they come.
What unholy hell is this?
A thousand pairs of eyes track me,
Nowhere to hide,
Blood trails down my face.
Hard to breathe,
Running seems the only solution,
Turning in cirles,
Those eyes, those howls, surround me.
Shadows, they seem so alive,
Moving closer,
Trying to suffocate me where I stand,
Like hands clutching at my throat.
Running, gasping, stumbling,
Tears welling up in my eyes,
Falling, they are almost upon me,
Resistance seems so futile.
Stunned, my face to the ground,
Foul breath envelopes me,
It’s moisture surrounds me like a cloud,
Terror takes hold of my very being.
Crawling, dragging myself to my feet,
I turn, they lunge,
A fury of fur and fang,
What nightmare has thrust me into this hell!
Beasts converge from all directions,
Flesh ripped from bone,
Pain numbs me,
Knocked to the ground under a demon pile.
Eyes flash a ghastly shade of green,
My body being torn asunder,
Who would have believed werewolves were real?
I can scarcely hear my death scream.
Limp, bloody and beaten, movement escapes me,
I can feel satan breathing in my face,
In a snarl I can see his unnatural fangs,
Dripping in blood, they are poised for the kill.
This moment of clarity,
Staring the beast in the eyes,
He has won, I was never any match,
My throat his grand prize.
Blood flowing uncontrollably,
No longer able to speak,
I can feel my life force draining away,
No more pain, no more fear.
To those that may follow,
Myths are routed in reality,
By God werewolves are real!
Just ask what is left of me.
The Dead of Night (A Poem)
By D. R. DiFrancesco
Nightfall settles in
Overtaking the light
Howling, hooting, cawing sounds
Startled, peering up, down, left, right
Noise from all directions
Fear and angst clutter the mind.
Irrational thoughts of dread
Rustling leaves and brush
Freeze as though flash frozen
“What’s that?” said internally
“Nothing but the wind.” the reply
Nerves pricking the skin like a million needles.
Trembling, feeling breathless
Shadows unfold, something is watching
Moonlight and movement weave their tale
Nonsense as the pace hastens
Trying to outrun torment
Trepidation weighs heavy.
Lightening flashes, knees weaken
Surroundings visible in the flash
Lost, the scene barbaric
Foreboding wrenches at the soul
Uncontrollable, Tears flow in streams
Screaming, the only respite.
Senses amble untamed
Drenched, sweat cold and moist
Disoriented struggling to find the way
Surreal, clutching the sheets
Muscles tighten, eyes open with a jolt
Relieved it was only a nightmare.
Dom DiFrancesco 