Monday, March 7, 2016

Donal Mahoney- Three Poems


Protect and Serve

On Saturday mornings
several bowed citizens 
gather on the sidewalk

outside the clinic
to read the Bible and pray.
Staff peer through curtains

afraid one of them might
stop a client coming in 
for her procedure

despite two policemen
guns in their holsters 
stationed outside.



Sacked

When we hire people, we like to know
their limitations, said Mr. Acre,
commandant of personnel.

Look at Phil with his arm and hook.
We could see the problem when we hired him.
We've hired others with limitations 

not as obvious and that has backfired.
You and I have limitations no one can see.   
If ours were obvious, someone might

call the cops to come and get us.
I’m in charge so here’s your severance.  
Box up your stuff and go away.



A Comfortable Retirement

Retired now, he’s half St. Francis
every season of the year, putting out

sunflower seed and safflower seed 
for bickering cardinals and jays, 

niger seed for the goldfinch mob,
millet for the different sparrows,

feeds feral cats at an early hour 
that eat and leave before 

the birds drop down.
He and his wife go downtown

and step around old men drifting 
like pigeons, begging for change.


Donal Mahoney

———————————————————————
Donal Mahoney is comfortably retired but not rich;
was sacked at least twice in his life with 5 kids
in private schools, and reads a few verses
from the Bible online every day as medicine 
for his soul.  He thinks the Bible is finally 
having an effect on him but he’s a terminal 
sinner with a long (or maybe short) way to go.
He wants the elevator to go up. 


1 comment:

  1. Approaching it from a different perspective.
    I liked it.

    ReplyDelete