—Anonymous Photo
A LITTLE BOY WHO WON’T GO AWAY
—Donal Mahoney, St. Louis, MO
He’s at least 70 now and has
never forgotten his childhood.
He lives with that child every day.
He relives that Thanksgiving Day
his family had parched field corn
for dinner that he can still taste.
Nothing else in the house to eat.
He remembers his church buying
clothes for him to wear to school.
And he remembers walking to class
through snow with holes in his shoes,
hatless and gloveless, in a windbreaker.
But he got high grades, studied hard
and won a scholarship to college.
He spent his life as a teacher, married
a fine woman and had a good life.
But that little boy never goes away
and has made him promise he would
do everything he can to see that
children in his community never
have to eat parched field corn
not turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
He's old now and retired but still
goes back to his old school five days
a week to see if some child has a need.
A Crossing Guard can always tell.
_____________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Donal Mahoney for a wonderful beginning to a week of Thanksgiving!
This just in: Today at 5pm, Coffee & Poets will present a discussion and podcast with Sacramento poet Tracy Gourdine, led by Frank Dixon Graham. Head over to the Naked Lounge, 1111 H St., Sac. to be part of the audience! Free. Previous Naked Lounge podcast interviews can be heard at etrigg.com/location/the-naked-lounge-1111-h-street-95814-sacramento-ca/289332/.
Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about this and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
—Donal Mahoney, St. Louis, MO
He’s at least 70 now and has
never forgotten his childhood.
He lives with that child every day.
He relives that Thanksgiving Day
his family had parched field corn
for dinner that he can still taste.
Nothing else in the house to eat.
He remembers his church buying
clothes for him to wear to school.
And he remembers walking to class
through snow with holes in his shoes,
hatless and gloveless, in a windbreaker.
But he got high grades, studied hard
and won a scholarship to college.
He spent his life as a teacher, married
a fine woman and had a good life.
But that little boy never goes away
and has made him promise he would
do everything he can to see that
children in his community never
have to eat parched field corn
not turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
He's old now and retired but still
goes back to his old school five days
a week to see if some child has a need.
A Crossing Guard can always tell.
_____________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Donal Mahoney for a wonderful beginning to a week of Thanksgiving!
This just in: Today at 5pm, Coffee & Poets will present a discussion and podcast with Sacramento poet Tracy Gourdine, led by Frank Dixon Graham. Head over to the Naked Lounge, 1111 H St., Sac. to be part of the audience! Free. Previous Naked Lounge podcast interviews can be heard at etrigg.com/location/the-naked-lounge-1111-h-street-95814-sacramento-ca/289332/.
Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about this and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
