Monday, April 20, 2015

Donal Mahoney- A Poem


Moth Upside Down on the Ceiling

This black moth
flew in the front door
of the living room  
the other night 
and has been up 
on the ceiling
ever since.
It's hanging 
upside down
in the same spot
not moving
like a drone waiting 
for instructions.  
I'm in my recliner 
this morning
drinking coffee 
and watching him.
He's an immigrant 
from the light
that shines all night
on the front porch
letting burglars know
I have an AK-47  
should they decide
to drop in.
The last few nights
I've noticed other moths 
fluttering around the light 
perhaps wondering where 
this moth is. 
In his current fix, 
he too may be wondering
how they're doing.
When I was a boy,
there was a protocol
in my family when 
a moth commandeered  
the parlor ceiling.
My father would swing
the fly swatter
and flatten the intruder 
with one splat.
The last three mornings
I haven't seen this moth move.
I wouldn't kill him
even if I had a swatter
But if he were 
an inconvenience,  
like an unintended fetus
found in a womb, 
I still wouldn't do anything. 
We have people trained
to take care of that
and like my father 
they know what 
they're doing.


 
Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri. 
 

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