Character Flaw Poem by Donal Mahoney

Millie wants Willie to make up,
go back to the way they were,
be lovey-dovey, hunky-dory.
Willie wishes he could

but that’s not the way he is.
He has a character flaw,
permanent as a birthmark
his mother told him

when he was only six.
Some folks can forgive
and then forget but that’s
not you Willie, she said.

When he heard about
the crucifixions in Syria,
he said that's genocide,
plain and simple.

Willie’s can't forget
a wrong, big or small.
It’s hard to forgive, he says,
never mind forget ISIS.

You’re not ISIS, Willie,
his Millie reassures him.
You just have a conscience.
No nails, no hammer.