Tag Archives: story

Peace, Goodwill Towards Men

Peace, goodwill towards men–

I believed this once,

A long, long time ago it seems.

I can still remember her smile,

The love of my life,

Us…hand-in-hand,

Not a care in our perfect little world.

And the kids–

Oh how they loved Christmas.

Not just the presents,

The paper, the bows,

But the time we spent together.

We were a family,

A perfect design by Hallmark.

Now she’s gone,

The years were not kind to her;

And the kids–,

Grown, families of their own–

Don’t come around much anymore.

Hell, I don’t remember the last time.

The gesture of a card would be nice

Just to let me know they cared,

That they remembered me,

But no…

It was not meant to be,

Alone I sit, stranded for the holidays.

This wasn’t how I saw my later years,

Aged, lonely,

Awaiting the ghost of Christmas past.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

~

Prompt Word: Stranded

 Writing Prompt: Tuesday’s Thinking 17 December – By Jeremy Farmer – The Boi Poet

Thoughts of Correctness (Sonnet)

Thoughts of correctness–political or otherwise rise this time of year,

Merry Christmas replaced by Happy Holidays so as not to offend.

Is this not still Christmas which we for so long held dear,

There has been no change in the calendar I do portend.

.

What–pray tell is of such offense during this season so joyous,

Are not both happiness and goodwill the same amongst all?

Making merry at this time was once so pleasant–boisterous;

Kind smiles and hearty handshakes have suffered in pall.

.

Abstain if you must, from this merriment we freely offer,

Wallow in self-pity and become victim to your social demise.

There is far more to Christmas than filling retailers coffers,

Its a chance to renew our faith in man with a clearer set of eyes.

.

Regardless of religion take from this holiday what you will,

For if nothing but kindness and generosity, then your heart it will fill.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Forest Walk

Forest walk–crisp night,

Moon reflecting off snow white.

Pure as God’s Angels

Welcoming the virgin birth

Into this diluted world.

So short a time is the beauty unspoiled;

Where footsteps have not yet soiled.

Until man imparts his bloody mark

Corrupting nature’s pristine gift.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

It Occurred to Me (Sonnet)

It occurred to me–a mystery of sorts,

How inward and outward my image became.

I think through others witty retorts,

They’ve morphed the person they know by name.

.

Is this not how we all evolved,

Our identities molded by family and friends?

Who we were born is not who we’ve resolved;

Veering off our path for one that bends.

.

Rules of life, though they often change

Undeniably forming our moral core

Relations with others and loves they arrange

Knowing right from wrong they ensure

.

Perhaps it would have been easier to leave me to fate

Than to manufacture a me into this limbotic state.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Taste of Blame (Sonnet)

Bitter and nauseating is the taste of blame

Often stirred by our misguided spirit–ego.

Detesting others with fortune and fame

Until ones jealousy doth flourishing, grows.

.

Little good does it serve to another accuse;

Rotting heart and soul to the core.

Resulting in pain and the minds terrible abuse,

Living in darkness ‘til every fiber doth abhor.

.

Does harboring this envy, one deadly sin

Heal what you view as improper nay unjust?

This frailty so human caused all ills begin

Diminishing our ability to trust.

.

What profit can be gained from hatred ingrained,

But to torture our souls until loves power doth refrain.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

What Was His Worth

Nelson Mandela July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013

Nelson Mandela July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013

What was his worth?

To many–he was priceless,

No pearl, no diamond could compare.

Behind bars…

Or taking in the breaths of freedom

He was unshakable.

Even in the face of all that was stolen from him

He shone with the light of forgiveness.

All of this done with a burning hope,

A hope for progress,

For justice,

For equality,

For the death of apartheid.

Fighting with the weapons of peace

His was not just a fight for his people,

But a fight against all the wrongs plaguing humanity.

Noble, to be honored, cherished, thanked, missed…

What was his worth?

Far more than these words could possibly speak.

Farewell Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,

…You will not, you must not be forgotten.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Huddled Masses

Chips Under the Lamp by Malcolm Teasdale - Monday's Masterpiece 2 December Prompt - Jem Farmer The Boi Poet

Chips Under the Lamp by Malcolm Teasdale – Monday’s Masterpiece 2 December Prompt – Jem Farmer The Boi Poet

Huddled masses dirty and cold

Tossed in darkness to the foul smelling street.

Has nothing changed since the days of old;

The scuffing and shuffling of leather-worn feet.

Scarcely enough light from streetlamps glow,

They’re hungry with nothing to eat.

The single flame does not any safety show

Any end to this parade they repeat.

Fear thee not for thy faithful friend

Stands by with nary a cry.

His loyalty true never waivers or bends

With allegiance ‘til the day that he dies.

Regardless how hard the hearts turn of man

Take comfort that rewards surely await,

For its all just a part of creations masterplan

And the key through the Pearly Gates.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

~

Monday’s Masterpiece 2 December Prompt – Jem Farmer The Boi Poet 

Winters Chill Fast Approaching

Winters chill fast approaching,

Trees barren of supple leaves

Stand cold and hard–unfeeling.

Still my heart beats–

Pulsing warm and full of life;

Though invisible to the naked eye

Like the tree…I live,

Waiting to usher forth that which I hold close.

My passions roil inside begging release,

But this runs contrary to my grain.

Struggling as that of the springtime bud

To escape from their dormancy.

Perhaps this cocoon is of my own making,

Protecting me from imagined fears.

I push…push with all my might

Against my ivy covered shell

Long shuttered to keep the frost at bay;

Exposure to the cold starkness of life too much to bear.

This is not what it is to live

Instead it is simply existing,

Void of true joy, void of heartfelt bliss

I will hibernate no longer.

This will be my spring, my season of renewal,

Buds of my inner self will burst forth

Freeing me of my self-imposed bondage,

Allowing me to thrive

In the sunlight of the everlasting day.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

A Thing of the Past

A thing of the past

We have become ungrateful

Feigning excitement

Mesmerized by Black Friday

And all of its false idols

Its meaning replaced

By glossy ads–hypnotic

And sworn good fortune

Thanksgiving–gone to the heap

With Christmas soon to follow

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

I Lie

I lie…

Down with myself in the darkness

Unable to decipher the meaning of my life.

~

I lie…

To myself just as I always have,

Pretending to be something I am not.

~

I lie…

To others by hiding behind a mask and a smile,

Showing them what they want to see not who I am.

~

I lie…

Everytime I deny my dreams their breath

Leaving them to choke in the pool of my mind.

~

Is stifling our hopes and dreams truly living,

Making the unsatisfying our lifes work?

Were we not born to rise to our own vision of greatness

Not for financial gain alone, but for our God given passions sake?

~

I lie…

But I am trying to bury my fears,

Trying to live the dreams that I was born to realize.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~