Doré E. Frances
Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think
I’m homesick for a haven I’m not sure exists – a place where my heart is whole, my body safe, and my soul no longer lonely.
I search for it in quiet mornings, in strangers’ smiles, in the way sunlight rests on my skin.
Sometimes, I almost feel it—
in a song, in the hush of trees, in the memory of being held
Beneath My Silence
There are stories we tell out loud – and there are ones we carry quietly etched beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to be heard.
This collection of poems was born from those quieter places –
where words once trembled behind closed lips, where pain and resilience lived side by side, and where healing began not with answers but honesty.
Beneath My Silence is a journey through grief, hope, meaning, and memory. It’s shaped by the echoes of my past and the wisdom of surviving it. Some poems emerged from sorrow, others from joy, but all are threads of a life deeply felt and deeply lived. These poems hold what I couldn’t say out loud. Thank you for listening.
Doré
[…]
Death Is Not the End We Imagine
My journey into writing about my near-death experiences wasn’t planned—it just unfolded. I have been exploring spirituality, self-development, and manifestation for years.
Then one day, I heard a voice ask, What do you think happens after we die?
Without hesitation, I said, We find ourselves in another realm—eerily familiar, yet not quite the same.
In my experience, the difference is that in that realm, we can perceive spirits and other beings that remain hidden from our physical senses.
Thoughts, emotions, and intentions manifest instantly—almost as if reality responds in real time.
And yes, we still feel very much alive.
What lies beyond this life?
My understanding has […]
On January 9, 1986, my world shifted forever—I became a mother to a beautiful baby girl named Wendy.
In that moment, something in me awakened. Loving her gave my life new purpose. I wasn’t just living for myself anymore; I was living for her.
Still, I was moving through life in survival mode, skimming the surface of my pain.
I could see that wasn’t fair to her—I wanted to do better, to be better. Not because I consciously decided to change, but because something in me knew I had to. My body and mind were still wired for defense, shaped by the trauma of my childhood. I had learned to fight to stay afloat, and […]
The trauma inflicted by my stepmother echoed through every corner of my childhood. I was nine when my mother died. Two years later, George and I met our stepmother, Dotti, and our two half-brothers, Rick and Ron.
Ron was born the day after our mother died—October 15, 1962.
That date would take on deeper meaning in the years to come.
From the very beginning, Dotti made her resentment of us clear. Her abuse was constant and unrelenting.
She struck out physically—yanking my hair, slapping my face, locking me in closets, and denying me meals.
Her true cruelty lay in her emotional warfare: calculated, relentless, and all-consuming.
There was no respite, no safe moment. Her […]
It was 1959, under a sky dappled with clouds, when I spent a carefree afternoon at the beach with my aunt Dorothy, cousins, brother George, and mom.
The waves’ rhythm, the sand’s warmth, and the promise held by the distant horizon enchanted me. As George and I strolled along the shoreline, we searched for seashells and driftwood treasures. I glanced down, mesmerized by the frothy seafoam swirling around my ankles as the tide rolled in with quiet grace.
I closely watched the shoreline, hoping the waves might reveal a hidden treasure just for me. George lingered a few steps ahead, scanning the surf.
And then—everything changed.
A wall of water crashed […]
Stick around for a few laugh-worthy moments from my dating life—you won’t be disappointed. Solitude and loneliness aren’t the same thing.
Of course, I don’t mean all men need to learn these lessons; however, I’ve learned that I have to clarify that upfront.
Loneliness is a peculiar companion.
For some, it feels like a burden; for others, it’s a quiet kind of freedom—solitude.
As we grow older, the experience of being alone seems to diverge sharply between men and women.
Many older women, though certainly not all, appear to embrace this stage with resilience and grace. They pursue new interests, deepen friendships, and often find comfort in their own company. Older men, on the other hand, usually face a tougher adjustment. Whether following […]
Was Woodstock the spiritual spark of a generation’s awakening? Was it the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, or what?
Harmony and understanding? Trust and sympathy abounding?
Is the moon still in the seventh house?
Is Jupiter aligned with Mars?
Yet, in contrast, the world was anything but peaceful in 1968 when Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical opened on Broadway. That same year saw American bombs and napalm falling on Vietnam, Richard Nixon’s rise to the presidency, and the tragic assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Inner-city neighborhoods across the country erupted in riots, revealing a nation deeply fractured.
Periods of crisis tend to spark visions of paradise.
The 1960s were fertile ground for New Age ideologies—some born of […]