Synkroniciti is proud to welcome poet Michael J. LaFrancis from Connecticut with two historical poems. The first, “Founding Father” is a tribute to the late Congressman John Lewis, a leader in the civil rights movement who subsequently served in Congress until his death of cancer at age 80 in 2020. “Lewis learned how to get into good trouble/ from King and Gandhi./ Young John led marches, sit-ins, facing fear,/ always graceful, always polite, always/ well-dressed in trench coat and hat,/ yet he was still beaten, burned, arrested 45 times.” The second poem is “Equal Justice,” and it is a tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who spent her life fighting sexism and injustice. “Unwritten rules kept her mom/ from being a lawyer./ Ruth asked for no favor/ for her gender./ None was given.// She wanted men/ to take their feet off/ women’s necks./ Not so easy.” Michael takes a sober look at the lives of these two heroes, each marked with a persistence that led America to aspire to be a place where every person can explore their potential. Michael’s poetic voice is practical rather than flowery, invoking a sense of scrappiness that is quintessentially American. Alliteration and repetition provide structure while the tone remains simple and direct. This is true patriotism, moving us to envision our best selves and society. As Jung often pointed out, it is the individual that provides the direction for society by fostering more awareness of the specifics of the human condition. Until we see each other as people we cannot come to any lasting agreements.
Read Michael’s inspiring poetry in Synkroniciti’s “Identity” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/
Michael J. LaFrancis is an author, advocate, advisor and connector. Writing poetry is a contemplative practice providing him with insight and inspiration for living a creative life. His poems are also appearing in Amethyst Review, Avalon Literary Review, City Key, Mocking Owl, One Art, Last Leaves, Seraphic Review and Orenaug Mountain’s Personal Freedom Anthology.
He and his partner, Sharon, have two sons and were recently promoted to Nani and Popi for their granddaughters. Michael and Sharon recently published their autobiography: Our Wonderful Life. They live in Windsor, CT.