Donal Mahoney- Three Poems

Twin Girls, 1948

Beth was always different

marching as she did

to an armless drummer.

Her sister Kate marched

to another drummer,

one with arms on certain days 

but never with a drum 

that caught the sticks Kate 

kept in the air flailing.

When the girls were young

their mom and dad took them out

for walks on Sunday

afternoons in summer.

The girls waved to butterflies

but never to anyone else.

It was hard for other kids

peering from porches

to understand the problem.

 

When the twins were small

they didn't call it autism. 

It had no name on my block.

Now the illness has a name

and different medications

that sometimes temper

but never cure.

The girls are women now

old and living in a big home

with others in a small band

some still playing instruments

no one else can see.

Amid the Silence of Imams

Carnage rolls 

across the sand

amid the silence 

of imams  

Women raped,  

children killed, 

amid the silence 

of imams

What will it take

to stop the carnage 

amid the silence 

of imams 

Dead Brother’s Note to Our Dad

Dad, happy to see

you’re taking a nap.

I’m down at the pier

so give me a shout

when you wake up

and I’ll come running.

The fishing’s been great--

three coolers of pike

iced in the trunk.

You always tell Mom 

before we leave 

you won’t be drinking 

and she lets Tim and me 

go with you but 

you drink all day 

here at the lake.

I'll get my license next year

so things will be different.

I'll drive back at night so 

you can nap in the car.

I’ll keep the radio off

so you won’t wake up.

It’s always good 

to see Mom.

 

Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri.