Donal Mahoney- Three Poems

Agnostic Afloat

You were a good boy,

following your parents' advice,

never going out in the rain.

At the sound of rain

you dove under the bed,

bawled and shouted,

“Come out, come out 

wherever you are"

but no one came out,

not even you.

When your parents died

your uncle gave you 

boots and a bumbershoot

and out you went 

whatever the weather. 

The rain in Spring you found

a wonderful thing and not 

so bad in Summer either

until the flood roared in

and you floated away.

Noah and his ark sailed by, 

Noah on deck 

between two giraffes 

smiling and shouting,

“Come out, come out 

wherever you are"

but no one came out,

not even you.

Different Sides of Same Coin

Hands Up!

Don’t Shoot!

Pants Up!

Don’t Loot!

Conundrum

Paddy believes 

in something he 

has never seen.

So when I ask him why 

he won't look for it, he says 

“Because it’s here.”

Mick believes

in nothing he 

hasn’t ever seen.

So when I ask him why 

he won't look for it, he says 

“Because it isn't there.”

So I ask Mick if he 

would ever look where

Paddy says it is 

and Mick says  

"Paddy's full of it. 

Why look there.”

Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri.