Three poems by Donal Mahoney

Veteran's Day Is Every Day for Him

“Screw the Vernal Equinox”
is all Cootie Kelly ever says
sitting triumphant with his
foaming glass of Guinness 
on the last stool at Maggie's
Stag & Doe Inn.

A stranger might walk in
or a friend of many years
and ask Cootie for the time
or if he has a match or
where a restaurant is
and his answer never varies.
“Screw the Vernal Equinox”

is all Cootie Kelly ever says
even before he went to Korea
and came home with medals
and a lovely bride, a nice lady 
who makes her own kimchee,
a piquant dish of pickled cabbage.
Cootie likes it so much he

brings a jar with him every day
to eat with Maggie’s grilled  
sausages and hard-boiled eggs,
soaking yolks in hot sauce first.
A lunch like this washed down
with plenty of foaming Guinness
has set Cootie Kelly up for life.
No wonder all he ever says is
“Screw the Vernal Equinox.”




A Mountain on the Lawn

You have the back rent 
and come home from work 
and find everything in a mountain 
out on the lawn with the kids
sitting on the curb crying
unable to get in after school.

You spend the night in the car
with your wife and the kids.
They’re all scared
and you wonder what 
to do in the morning.
You can’t go to work with 
everything on the lawn.
Neither can your wife.
What about the kids
and school?

Storage costs money
but that’s your back rent
or maybe rent for a new place.
How would you move
all that stuff anyway?
Who would help?
You tell your wife
everything will all work out,
both of you knowing
it’s all just begun.




A Predictable Life

He was predictable
all those years
going home after work
doing odd jobs
around the house
getting ready for 
work the next day.

He remained predictable
after the divorce
going home after work
doing odd jobs
getting ready for
work the next day.

He was still predictable
after he lost his job
applying for benefits
and looking for work
doing odd jobs
around the house
looking for work 
the next day.

He wasn’t predictable
after his benefits ran out
and the bank foreclosed
and he had to sell the car
and move to the streets.

He sleeps in hallways now
washes dishes in a diner
for breakfast and lunch 
and a few dollars to spend
at McDonald’s for dinner.

He’s predictable again
but he has no home
works harder for less
and can't vote this year.
He has no address.

​

 Bio: Donal Mahoney, a native of Chicago, lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His fiction and poetry have appeared in various publications, including The Wisconsin Review, The Kansas Quarterly, The South Carolina Review, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune and  Commonweal.  Some of his work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=​ 

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