Hawks At It Again (Tanka)

Hawks at it again

Preaching fear to the masses

McCain’s battle cry

Only he has the answers

Say cheese for the cameras

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Teetering On The Brink

Teetering on the brink–again;

War-hawks sounding their alarm

Like the boy who cried wolf.

Prodding the populace with fear

As if they and they alone can foretell the future,

This is always their way.

They act as if violence on our soil is inevitable,

That we must strike first

Before the boogieman gets us in our sleep.

What is the endgame?

The objectives are muddled at best

Causing more harm than good.

Blaming the other side for inaction

Is their way of shifting focus,

And we believe time-and-time again.

All while their silken pockets are lined with gold

For their them and their friends.

Death is an industry like any other;

Capitalism at its finest

And we feed into their vile fare.

Rallying behind their hate and ignoring their greed

They hide behind the guise of patriotism;

O’ how blind and oblivious we are.

There is no dispute,

Barbaric acts of murder are despicable.

There is no death that can be condoned or celebrated,

Especially of the innocent.

Is this an act of war?

They are not a country.

They are not a government.

They are nothing, but criminals and murderers,

Treat them as such!

Yes, there is evil in this world!

Yes, there is a time and place for action,

But the motives must be clear,

The end must be solidly defined

And the cause must be just.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Lives Lost

Lives lost–statistics–

Death scrolls on the news ticker,

We can’t feel their pain.

Vaccinated from the world

We live in ignorant bliss.

Do we really care?

Our own are an afterthought

In our decade wars.

How truly cold we’ve become

Trading life for apathy.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Violence Begets Violence

Violence begets violence,

Through blood and terrible pain.

Hatred begets hatred,

With every fallen name.

 

Actions in this moment

Last for generations to come

Long after reasons forgotten

Our passions still succumb.

 

Perpetuating animus

At the cost of innocent life

Caught in the crossfire

Stainless victims of this strife.

 

Given a moment of thought

Or a look in a childs face.

Would we be so rash

To kill instead of embrace.

 

Perhaps someday great wisdom

Will seed the hearts of man.

To recognize the evil

Exacted since time began.

 

The hope for lasting peace

Lives in my fondest dreams.

Though unlikely in this lifetime

Nor ever so it seems.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Boom

Boom!

Explosions foretell impending doom.

Shrapnel tears, litter, debris,

Screams of those one cannot see.

Missiles launched behind human shields,

Zionists and zealots refuse to yield.

Suffering little as the innocent die,

Denying they’re complicit, a terrible lie.

Which side is right, which side is wrong,

Difficult to tell they’ve hated so long.

Whether Gaza, Israel, Russia, Ukraine,

War is still war just with different names.

Fighting for ethnicity, Allah or God,

They’re “holier than thou” is just a facade.

Violence and death under whatever name,

Can’t be justified no matter what the claim.

Which leads me to wonder whether peace is desired,

With every bomb dropped and each rocket fired.

These wars have carried on for eons ‘til today,

I wonder if they really know any other way.

While their innocent suffer and hatred is bred,

I doubt they will stop until all sides are dead.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

War Damages More Than Earth And Enemy

War damages more than earth and enemy.

Its scars not always visible disfigure,

Taking more than life and limb.

Those once docile and kind seethe with anger

Tearing family, home and heart to shreds.

Longing to coddle the child we once knew

We only serve to alienate.

As a result we remain silent,

Helpless against the inner demons that torment.

We pray they make it back home in one piece,

Yet coming to terms with that which we cannot see

…There is now way to prepare for.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

We Are Still At War

We are still at war

Though it is invisible

To the naked eye

The media doesn’t care

Only the families do

Far away from home

Tears are shed–

With each phone call

Praying for good news

Or maybe no news at all.

They are alone with their fears

 

~~ 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 ~~

Wheels Of Bloody War Continue To Turn

Wheels of bloody war continue to turn,

Backing foreign rebels whose motives unclear.

While villages and cities continue to burn

We’re spoon fed a diet of who we should fear.

~

Millions of dollars to be funnelled covert,

To whom we don’t know, just trust us we’re told.

Protecting our interests how could it possibly hurt,

This story gets older the more that it’s told.

~

Creating future enemies with training and guns,

A lesson that we still have not learned.

Viewed by the world as reincarnated Huns,

Our reputation, our flag once again burned.

~

Another “War on Terror” with no defined win

A phrase perhaps coined oh so rightly

Though resources and patience are stretched ever so thin

We’re lied to with teeth clenched so tightly

~

We’re told this is for the protection of all,

As if we couldn’t see through their disguise.

It’s all about profit and a wealth of crude oil

Wrapped in “freedoms” meager blanket of lies.

~

Our love for our cars, our boats, our planes

And all things founded on fossil fuels.

We take what we want without easing their pains

Makes us look like great bullies and fools.

~

Then they claim concern for the welfare of man

When it’s really nothing more than an act.

Money and greed and taking all that they can

Is an evident though an oft denied fact.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Sullen Is My Heart

Sullen is my heart
For the deaths of our brethren
And our enemies
In the end we gain nothing
But continued violence
Rejoice not in death
Instead mourn every life lost
With deepest regret
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~