' ' ' ' ' 'Bringing Home The Bacon(For Bryan) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

Dad sneezed &
...sneezed again.

The sky grew a cloud
just like...a pig.

The man on the telly said:
“BlahblahSWINEFLUblah! ”

“It can’t be swine flu! ”
Mum remarked frostily

icicles forming off of
her every word

her mouth
a cold cave

her teeth
all stalactites & stalagmites
biting off each
bitter word

with a derisive laugh
eyes mythically flashing

a modern day Circe.

“Your Dad was always such
...a pig! ”

“Weren’t you...my pet...weren’t you my...precious! ”
she chucked him under the chin
smiling sweetly as a dagger.

Dad grunted
scratched his crotch &...belched

waiting for the ad break to desist
& the second half of the match
to commence.

I said nothing
lost myself again in my Playstation.