Marimba In The Afternoon Poem by Donal Mahoney

Marimba In The Afternoon



Raul is a kind man
who plays marimba
in a salsa band at LA clubs
late into the night.

Some afternoons he plays
at a nursing home in Cucamonga
where he was born, grew up
and dashed home from school.

He’s paid with a taco,
maybe an enchilada,
a burrito now and then.
On Sunday a fresh tamale

almost as good as his mother
used to make after being in
the fields all day, long ago.
Old-timers in the day room

bounce in their chairs, some
on wheels, to Raul's music.
Long ago they were young
and danced all night in

tiny clubs after being paid
a few dollars a basket for
picking grapes and plums
under pounding sun.

Monday, October 12, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: old age ,social comment
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Eugene Levich 12 October 2015

Ditto to Kim Barney!

0 0 Reply
Kim Barney 12 October 2015

Raul sounds like a great guy. You painted a good picture of him in this poem. Well done.

0 0 Reply
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success