Shelling Peas Poem by Dónall Dempsey

SHELLING PEAS

a smile
struggles around in his beard
then gets lost again

the doctor spoke like a stone
dropped into a pool
talking in bigggger & biggggger circles

Death politely
knocks at his door
as if it were Beethoven's 5th

'Are you always as
dramatic as this..? '
Death just smirks

he felt like
an answer being
chased by a question

he remembers his wife
shelling peas into her lap
a glimpse of white knickers

at last he
found what he was
looking for...his death

he steps into
the blue that
a window offers

the clock
embarrassed by
its own ticking