Donal Mahoney Poems

Ballyheigue
County Kerry
Ireland
...

The bathroom carpet,
wall to wall, is blue,
the lightest blue,
to complement
...

Henry and Wendy Throckmorton had been married a week when Henry took Wendy to his garret 100 miles south of their estate in posh Kenilworth, a suburb of Chicago. Wendy thought she was going on a delayed honeymoon. Henry had never told her that he was a painter by avocation. She knew only that he was a successful patent attorney and had a large, profitable practice.

There was a heavy snowfall that evening and it made the trip for Wendy, looking out the window of the car, all the more beautiful. They arrived at the garret around midnight and walked up three flights of stairs in the dark. It was good that Henry had brought his flashlight. He used three keys on a long silver chain to open three locks on the steel door. Once inside the garret, Henry turned on the light with triumph.
...

State and Madison, Chicago.
Saturday, high noon.
Shoppers in melee.
...

She comes so pretty prying...
'What is going on here anyway? '
She's the Boss's secretary so
she has a right to know
...

Every day the same people
at the same table
at the rear of the cafeteria.
The maiden,35 at least,
...

In your mind you hear
words snarling
all day long
but no poem arrives.
...

Two men tall,
one from here
and one from there,
...

They weren’t talking at all, back then.
Deep in that house, conceiving their dwarfs,
they weren’t talking at all, back then.
...

Whenever she comes by
it's always the same thing.
I make her comfortable
and then she leaves.
...