Tag Archives: thanks

The Sound Of Taps

The sound of Taps, the saddest song

It rings within my ears

A song without a single word

Can bring these eyes to tears

 

This solemn song too often played

Remembered on this day in May

The sacrifice of souls so brave

They’d have it no other way

 

Freedom fought so hard the cost

Enjoyed by all today

Taken for granted far too oft

WIth beer and barbeque and play

 

Take the time to say your thanks

Out of respect for those who gave

May the thankful close their ranks

Laying flowers upon their graves

 

A simple thanks I offer with heart

For a son who served with pride

To mothers and fathers of fallen souls

I’m thankful that mine is alive

 

No greater the tragedy remembered this day

Than the loss of a child or parent

I’ll never forget their ultimate sacrifice

Though their deaths are found so abhorrent

 

This simple poem is all I can give

To express to all how I feel

I thank you, we thank you from the heart

Just know that our pain is for real

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

How Can I Complain

How can I complain,

With food, shelter and clothing

A place to call home.

I am not ravaged by war,

Despised by much of the world.

This joyous season

Take the time to remember…

We are truly blessed.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Thanks for your Service

“Thanks for your service”,

Offered by friends to my son.

“It’s not about me”

His reply with a kind, but…

Instead it’s about

Those we can no longer thank

Because they are gone.

Please thank those still with us

And remember those who’ve past.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Do We Expect

Do we expect the Divine to give without us giving back?
Do we expect to receive all the good this world has to offer without offering it back?
Life is not a one way street of take, take, take.
We are here to give unto others with no expectation of repayment.
This is what living is all about.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Destitute, Broken

Destitute, broken
Veterans thrown to the streets
Forgotten by all
Do they not deserve much more
Than to be treated like trash
They sacrificed much
Though the cause–questionable
Do we not owe them
Our gratitude and our help
For the part of them they lost
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

At Midnight’s Stroke (Sonnet)

At midnight’s stroke amongst confetti and champagne

Give thought to those so far from home.

Too many are they in lands we cannot name,

Worn and lonely; resolved to wallow alone.

.

With joy–a smile and alcohols bright cheer

Our horns like trumpets wail.

Forgetting those who could not be here

Our memories so short they do fail.

.

Without intention this ailment takes hold

As time our sensitivities does dull.

Our patience and prayers grow tired and old

Succumbing to complacencies lull.

.

Remember those who sacrifice without batting an eye,

Ensuring the freedoms the rest of us have, as our fireworks light up the sky.

.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: I like to post reminders from time-to-time to give thought to our brave service men and women serving around the world.  These are as much a reminder for me as I hope they are for others who may read this.  Next time you see a member of the armed forces, thank them for their service, this really does mean a great deal to them.

The Question

I was once asked,

“When death stares you in the face what will you say?”

I pondered and sighed and smiled a smile I could not erase.

Thank you…

That was my answer,

Thank you for my life,

It has been full.

Thank you for my wife,

My lover,

My partner,

My children,

Thank you for every sunrise,

Every sunset,

Every shooting star in the heavens,

Thank you for all the love,

The sadness,

The joys,

The pain,

I couldn’t have gotten on without you.

These are but a simple few of all for which I’d give thanks.

Of all that I am thankful for, I am most thankful for time,

Not for how much or how little,

But thank you for the time that I had in this beautiful tortured world,

Amongst those I love,

And those that loved me.

For these I am most thankful.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

The Giving of Thanks Lost

Black Friday crowds

By D. R. DiFrancesco

Fleeced

Our focus lost to door busters

Glossy color ads alluring as crack

A day of thanks reduced to dreams of Black Friday conquest

How sad it is to see culture sacrificed

Left in the ruin of materialism

Family and friends the means to an end

A holiday of joy and reflection

Reduced to nothing more than a chore

Is this what it means to give thanks

To revel in the company of loved ones

We have forgotten ourselves

What we are, why we are, who we are

Money has replaced our morality

Something to be worshiped and treasured

With something to be kept in a bank or a box

This cannot be our destiny

To lose our souls to that which is finite

What sorrow this brings

To watch what was once incorruptible

Held hostage to mere mortal desires for gratification

Pray we find the path redrawn by our moral compass

Rekindling the joy cherished by those that came before.