Poeticous Logo
en
English Español Français Italiano
Donal Mahoney

Donal Mahoney

Beyond the Milkweed

It was her birthday.
She was only five
the dawn we went out
to look at roses
in Grandma’s garden
while everyone else
was sleeping.
She loved them all
every color
but stooped the way
little girls do
and pointed to
wings of a Monarch
on the ground
splayed by death
fresh with dew
underneath milkweed
Grandma planted
just last Spring
for Monarchs
to lay their eggs.
She asked if
it would fly away
and I said no.
Monarch mothers
I explained
lay their eggs
in milkweed
and then sleep.
That’s why
she and I
must be careful
not to make a sound
as we tip-toe
over there to the roses
Grandma planted
beyond the milkweed
just last Spring
just for her.
 
Donal Mahoney

Other works by Donal Mahoney...
A Farmer Goes to the Big City

Six men were sitting at the table in the Day Room, as they call it, at the Whitehall Rest Home. They were playing poker and they had a newcomer in their midst. It was Bill, a retired fa...
 2
Same Old Story

When Martha gets home from cooking class this afternoon, Martin will be gone after 30 years of marriage. Martha won’t know why
Biker at the Drugstore

It’s a very busy drug store with seats along the wall where folks who wait for refills sit and sometimes chat but as I discover you can
Windsor Knot

Do you remember how to tie a Windsor knot the way your father taught you on graduation day in eighth grade
A Man and a Dog

A reporter asked Wilbur once if there were any advantages to being deaf and Wilbur used sign language to say not that he could think of
Father the Chameleon

Father the chameleon was lime gree… the first day I saw him peering in… my crib smiling and he remained lime green until kindergarten when a nun called the house and sa…
Butter or Margarine

It was a mistake to take home economics out of the curriculum at so many high schools, says Wally, a retired teacher who has an ongoing interest in education. He taught high school for ...
Whinny and Spit

When a man’s young, this work is hard but it pays well and he can feed the wife and kids.
Waiting Room

First time seeing this doctor, a specialist. Took a month to get an appointment. The waiting room’s packed. I grab the last seat
My Wife’s Garden

My wife likes to garden. She’s crazy about roses, lilies and daisies. She says I should get out in the garden and weed.
After Christmas Ends

Christmas lights ring the house and carols play. Todd decorates his grand Victorian
A Facility for the Poor and Demented

Fred visits Bill every month at the facility he’s been in for year… Age and booze brought Bill there. He’s still strapped to his bed so he can’t go wandering again
Third Grade Science Class

The teacher tells the third grade the order of the seasons cannot be changed. Summer, fall, winter, spring arrive in order, then start over.
Block Party

Neighbors were happy to see Fred and Opal come back for the annual block party. Old Bill asked Fred why they moved and Fred said
Internment Camps in the United States

Miyuki is old enough to have been a child during World War II. Indeed, some of her students are that old as well but they are eager to learn and listen to her carefully. She is a teache...



Top