Tag Archives: soldiers

No One Left Behind (Tanka)

No one left behind
The motto of a nation
Turned political
We must bring our loved ones home
Not sacrifice them as pawns
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Yet Another Name

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 ~~

 

Their Playground

Their playground, our world

The bullies intimidate

Taking what they want

Caught in their dangerous game

We are expendable pawns

It is Deja Vu

Cold War resuscitated

There are no winners

Just two very big egos

Gambling our existence

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

So Much Blood

So much blood on my hands,

Dried, old, not my own, but mine none-the-less.

Brothers and sisters–I have died with you on the battlefield,

My heart cries with each beat for your lose,

For the sacrifices made over our centuries.

Each of your gravestones is etched with my name,

I am your pallbearer, your namesake, your progeny.

I place the flowers on your graves,

Not for your sake alone, but for mine,

How else could I repay you for your kindness,

Thanks alone seem so hollow.

Brothers and sisters–I love you,

You are in my every thought and prayer,

Take comfort that you will never be forgotten.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Simpler Time

To lay in the tall grass

Soaking up summer sun,

I recall a time so much simpler than today,

Carefree, up at dawn, out, exploring,

Seeking out new worlds, new adventures.

Calls for lunch went unheeded,

There just wasn’t the time.

Mother knew, mother always knew

This was part of the plan.

Friends and imagination consumed,

My world for the taking,

King, conqueror, soldier

How I long for those days.

Today kings become tyrants,

Conquerors commit genocide

And soldiers really die.

Games of youth were just silly fun,

There were no consequences,

There was no death, no tyranny.

At the end of the day we’d shake hands,

Smile and run home for dinner,

Dreaming of tomorrow,

Dreaming of our next conquest

From the safety of our beds.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Forgotten Heroes – A Tanka

Forgotten heroes

Until violence erupts

Lives forever changed

Sad that it takes tragedy

For us to remember them

~

~~ 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 ~~

We Must Never Forget – A Tanka

Image Credit: theimagearsenal.com

Image Credit: theimagearsenal.com

These flag draped coffins

Returning from distant wars

We must not forget

Whether cause be right or wrong

They’re our brothers and sisters

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~