I’ve tripped and fallen,
Arose battered, cut and bruised
Yet I’m undeterred.
Life is not always painless
Nor always terribly kind.
Instinct says to run,
To hide from that which injures
Becoming recluse.
I refuse to run or to hide,
Cowering in human fear;
Preferring instead
To face my future head on
Whatever may come.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Perfection in pain
Part of this life of learning
Unavoidable
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Could I be my own worst enemy,
Yearning for perfection in this world and knowing it can never be?
Nothing can satisfy me as I watch the cruelty of man,
Inflicting pain and suffering on each other,
Crimes–inexcusable by any of God’s sacred texts.
Irreverent and blasphemous fools are these
Scandalous in their deep seated hatred
Maring the kindness and love of the doctrines they so staunchly claim to defend.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Mind fading away
Ravaged by illness and age
Fate of so many
Such a sad state of affairs
Watching those we love forget
≈
Feeling so helpless
We’ve become total strangers
Passing in the night
Frustration steeped in sadness
Becomes our permanent state
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Wounds hidden by smiles
Are at times the most painful
Tears stain their pillows
Post-traumatic stress is real
Even though you can’t see it
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Is pain a trial
Testing the mortal resolve
Of mind and body
This vessel is of the world
While we’re beings of spirit
We must rise above
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Another day ends
Thankful for all that I have
Yet unsatisfied
While pain and suffering thrive
I can’t be truly happy
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
I long for silent sleep
Where dreams take holiday
And nightmares cower in their tombs.
Oh how I have prayed for the abolition of my demons
Banishing them back to Hell,
But I am weak and afraid.
They claw at me in my waking hours
And draw blood in my slumber.
I am but a frightened child
Bowing to their every whim.
To fight them can only encourage pain,
A pain suffered more than once o’er’ these many years.
So I deny the monsters that haunt me;
Pretending that all is well
While I await their next onslaught.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Just as guilty am I,
Wallowing in self-pity,
Focusing on the negative, worrying,
Blaming others for my station
Trying to will destiny to my vision
Instead of trusting in the Divine.
I need not worry;
All things will be as they should
Without my intervention.
I must flow like the river
Fluid and forgiving ‘til the end
If I am to be one with the Spirit.
I know that suffering is unnecessary
This life is full of abundance,
The Tao will provide for me
Giving me all that I need
By showing me the Way.
~~ 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 ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 