Oh, Really?
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?”
Donal Mahoney
As a man with many obsessions in a long life, writing has been the one that has cost me the least and gotten in the least amount of trouble. This poem which appears to indict my wife simply came as a result of me reminiscing about they years I bred rare Australian finches and went to shows with them. Cockatoos always gave me a gander like this when I would walk among their cages. Occasionally my wife gives me a similar look when I say something right from the belfry. Being obsessive isn't so bad when you can find something innocent to obsess about. Writing is one of those innocent ones for me.
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