Saturday, May 17, 2014

Donal Mahoney- Three Poems

Wife After Showering

Niagara Falls 
her silver hair

so long it 
bounces off 

the swan 
of her back 

and off 
her buttocks

as she laughs 
and waves 

a towel too long
saluting the sun

and us 
who share 

another 
golden morning 



Possum

Driving to work 
shortly after dawn 
I saw a possum

on the asphalt 
curled like a fetus
in a bucket

following a procedure
not covered
by insurance.



Rotary Dialers in a Cell Phone World

When rabbis dance an Irish jig 
and Trappist monks eat matzoh balls, 

cell phone people will realize
rotary dialers aren't always

"on the wrong side of history
even if this ancient tribe

balks at any kind of change 
and grumbles when they spot

men with earrings or 
women with tattoos

"Not that there's anything wrong 
with that," Jerry Seinfeld might 

have said but rotary dialers have
never been Seinfeld's biggest fans.

Lawrence Welk is still their man. 
But rotary dialers do their best 

to stay abreast of fashion 
if they can't avoid it. 

They want to prove they're not
"on the wrong side of history."

 
Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

4 comments:

  1. Donal, we use to have party line one ring it was yours two rings the other party. Although we never partied. Tom Hatch

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  2. Well, Tom, I too remember party lines but I hate to think of the many decades that have marched by since the last time I heard of one, Everyone in the neighborhood was on one party line or other. It was a neighborhood of immigrants and some ot the English-speaking folks were disappointed because it was fun listening in on folks who spoke Polish or Croatian. Other people kept yelling at each other for years, not knowing who the other party was. Your system sounds civilized so I'm guessing it was rural. Mine was in Chicago when the original Richard Daley was mayor. In many ways I miss those days. although I don't miss the typewriter and carbon paper and Whiteout for mistakes.

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  3. Donal it was LA in the 50's too many mid and easterners headed west for Aero Space industry. There were still many ranches and bean fields rattle and king snakes. Before freeways too. Gas pumps with only two pumps 2 dollars of regular got windshield cleaned and oil checked. Not enough phones to go arround was my point. Best regards Tom Hatch...really like your work have enjoyed many over the last couple of years.

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  4. Mr Mahoney: Wife After Showering truly expresses love. Even after being together years and sharing passion for so long, this poem speaks like love is fresh, you are young and she is the sweetest person you ever met. The poem is special. Please credit the inspiration. haha

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