Donal Mahoney Poems

The guillotine dropped
between you and a friend
over coffee and small talk.
...

It tears the stomach out of Roy
to see old folks shopping
at an all-night grocery store
...

Midnight in San Francisco.
Yoshiko is 93
and she can't sleep
so she sits in her recliner
...

She's not young, his wife.
They've been together 40 years
but when she gardens in her shorts
...

Departures
from the norm
we are.
...

It will be a while before Fred's hometown has its annual food drive, he told me. That's an important event because it helps stock the pantry at the small charity where he volunteers. Right now, he said, the larder is practically bare and unemployment is still a big factor in the lives of many where he lives.

Certain times of the year are worse than others, he said, and this is one of those times.
...

The amount in every paycheck
has a period in it. Those who
get a paycheck every week
...

You think he'd be more grateful.
Neither rich nor poor he's
never wanted for anything.
...

No red kettles and bells
this December outside
the stores at the mall
...

As autumn turns colder
there's only one moth
fluttering at midnight
...