Oh, Really? Poem by Donal Mahoney

If you've seen
a cockatoo up close
in a cage or at a zoo
you may have noticed how
a cockatoo looks at you.

A cockatoo sits
on its perch and twists
its head in a curlicue
until one eye looks at you
as if to say "Oh, really? "

For me, this is
nothing new because
I've been married
many years and I've
seen that look often
especially when I
have a new idea.

I give the details to my wife
one recliner to the other
and her head turns
to look at me sideways
with one big brown eye
as if to say "Oh, really? "

I find this curious
because ethnically
she's German and Scots-Irish.
She says she knows of no
cockatoos in her family.
But if you come with us
to her next family reunion
at some point you might
slip and say "Oh, really? '