Tag Archives: suffering

Sanguine Is This Soul Of Mine

Sanguine is this soul of mine,

Joyous in being, breathing, loving, all that this creation has thrown at me,

Be it pleasant or not I am thankful.

Goodness does not come without pain..this has been my experience.

I am not bitter for the anguish I have endured,

The blood I have tasted on my tongue, the bruises worn in honor,

They have strengthened my resolve,

Enhancing that which brings me solace and jubilation.

You are not alone!

This misery, your father and your father’s father before him withstood,

All for a chance to taste euphoria,

Are these not the jewels for which we spend a lifetime in search?

Dear friend, be not weary or disillusioned;

Beyond this torment is bliss– be it in this world or the next.

We, one and all, are pawns in this game,

One whose end is synonymous,

Whether rich or poor, with the victor being…

The human condition

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Outward

Sand, coarse and hot runs through my fingers,

Blending seamlessly with others of their kind,

This endless sea of granulated wonder.

Alike, of similar origins, living in their same world;

Not so unlike the vastness of our own terrarium.

Under the skin, are not our similarities overwhelming,

Blood, bone, tissue, mineral, hopes, dreams, ambitions,

Born, living and dying as we all must, it is not a choice,

Nor an option given to us at first breath.

Look hard around you,

Oh, how the tricks of the eye are so convincing,

Seeing only that which is physical.

What does this tell of the being?

What of their hearts, their souls,

Their minds, their aspirations,

Their pain and suffering?

Nothing! For the eye is a fool,

Easily leading and misleading the mind,

Diverting maliciously from another’s essence,

Their true being and all that is important.

The shallowness of outward impressions limits us,

Preventing us from knowing, befriending, understanding.

Ignorance feeds us foremost,

Our temporal gluttony gorges us,

Making us something less than human,

With our flawed vision of what should be.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Storms Rage – A Tanka

Storms rage with fury

Devastating destruction

Tearing limb-from-limb

Pain not invoked by nature

But by a tormented soul

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Hardened Heart – A Tanka

A heart once hardened

Ferments in caustic hatred

Shutting out true love

Tragic is this festering

Leaving nothing but ashes

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

A Decade Of War

A decade of war

Life draining on this nation

When will it all end

Our citizens sacrificed

Precious resources squandered

To what victory

How do we define success

Against painful loss

Our wars produce no winners

Without a clear enemy

All gains will revert

When finally we depart

Chaos ensuing

As is always the result

In the absence of brute force

When ideals are forced

Democracy imposed

Only breeds contempt

When masses are unprepared

For freedoms sacrifices

~~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Scarred

Scars, fresh raised and red

Born of stainless razors edge

Bleed…to make me feel

Numb, I do not understand

What flawed design produced me

Sleeves long– Hide the shame

Attempts for naught this hollow fill

Am I all alone

Left to cut and poke and prod

To wake up the walking dead

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Love Can Be Painful – A Tanka

Love can be painful

Like a barbed wire wrapped heart

Bleeding and broken

Challenging love’s commitment

To withstand human weakness

~

~~ 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 ~~

White Noise

Waking to the rhythmic white noise

Television’s twinkling salt and pepper blur

Foil covered rabbit ears like periscopes

Reflect his fractured image…almost blinding

It hurts to sit up straight

Back hunched from decades of labor

Crumbs drop like snow from his cardigan

“What did I eat?”, he mumbles on deaf ears

As gnarled and twisted hands

Brush his remnants to the floor

Feed for roaches and rats that call this home

Day and time are of little concern

What does it matter.

Tormented knees crack

Perched unsteadily beneath him

All he can do is shuffle holding on for balance

The refrigerator fights back as he opens it

The dim light only blackens the mouldy fresco

Decorating the walls and shelves.

Spoiled milk curls the nose

“Been around awhile.” he whispered

Paying it no more mind

Warm beer will have to do

The crack of the tab and the “pusssssh”

Join the metronomic shuffle of his stocking feet

Moaning, he sits

Joints aching from medicine he can’t afford

Alcohol will have to do

Each sip provides little relief

Tired of living his eyes grow heavy

Sleep returns…to the rhythmic white noise

And the televisions salt and pepper blur

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Free At Last

Can you feel the beat of my heart

As you once did?

Flesh…

Blood coursing through my veins.

Though strong, not superhuman.

~

I bleed the souls of my fathers when cut,

Shed rivers of tears when broken,

Succumb to infirmities with hastening age,

Scar, ugly and jagged in healing,

Die a mortal death when called by the Creator.

~

You and I, conjoined in our humanness,

Why do you treat me otherwise?

The lash of your venom has left permanent tears.

Can you not refrain?

These are not badges of honor I wear, but disgrace,

On display to this cynical, forsaken world.

~

Treated as a carnival sideshow…no longer!

I am not a marionette bequeathed for amusement,

And you are not my puppet-master.

With sickle these ties shall be no more;

Dignity awaits me just beyond this stage.

~

As I reach for the exit door,

Claws dig into my flesh in one final bid,

But I am resolute in my determination;

Pulling free of your hideous grasp,

Free of control, free of your loathing,

Liberated from bondage.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~