The Mudslide
Oso, Washington 2014
Under the mud he can hear the men
digging and cursing but they
can't hear him scream.
The mud won't let him scream.
He was out for a walk when the mud
came down the hill like lava
covering him and the woman,
an arranged marriage of strangers
sinking and screaming.
He wonders how long he'll be there.
He can't recall the prayer
his grandmother taught him.
He wonders if the woman can hear
the men digging and cursing
and if she's able to scream.
Same Old Story
When Martha gets home from
cooking class this afternoon,
Martin will be gone
after 30 years of marriage.
Martha won't know why
but it's the same old story
another woman
this one young and beautiful
but deaf and mute as well
a woman Martin likes
because her body speaks
a language all its own
a woman who stays home
unless Martin chooses
to walk her
along with Sparky,
an old sheepdog his wife
gave him as a pup.
First Warm Day
Great joy today.
The sun and the breeze
have the mockingbird
flitting from branch
to branch, warning
the other birds.
My wife fills the feeder
with thistle and sits
on the bench with
the cat at her feet
making ablutions.
From the kitchen
I watch goldfinches
thrive on the thistle.
An old stewing hen
bubbles on the stove.
Tonight it will arrive
with a cast of dumplings
big as the clouds.
The radio bleats
the Cardinals have lost
to the Pirates.
On a day like today
who can possibly care.
Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
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