​Anyone Who Steps in the Way
 
Paul’s not a veteran of Vietnam
but he goes there in his dreams
to watch his brother Tim
 
walk in hazy streams sprayed
with Agent Orange before he
came home to Indiana
 
farmed the land for 30 years
grew weaker all the time
saw a doctor in town who had
 
no idea what was wrong  
but a specialist in the city
understood Tim’s problem
 
said it was too late, couldn’t
help him, so Tim wasted away
from a product proudly
 
made in the U.S.A.
by Monsanto, one that still
harvests people today.
 
Agent Orange has never
played favorites, takes anyone
who steps in the way.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

​The Corridor of Insanity
 
I can see myself slipping
Down the corridor of insanity
Doors on either side
Beginning to slide open.
A light at the end,
Beckoning,
Beckoning,
“Closer my dear,
You are almost here.
What? Those doors? Oh,
Never mind them.
They are just the way to sanity.
No need to go there
You’ve sold your soul
To me and I have
Come to claim what
Is mine.”
 
Dianne Lowe Breakfield
 
Author Bio
I was born in 1960 with a tremendous love of animals and a natural talent for the written word. I was also born with a mental illness that went undiagnosed for half of my life. I always dreamed of being able to accomplish just as much as someone who does not have to deal with a mental illness. Being a published writer has always been a dream that seemed just out of reach for me until Dreaming Big Publications gave me a chance. I saved thousands of precious animal lives, and now I am a writer. Who would have guessed it?
Several of my poems have been included in an anthology written by several authors who suffer from a mental illness. The book is titled, ‘Person Suit’ and is available on Amazon.
I have two grown daughters, and through them I have six wonderful grandchildren. My husband has two daughters and a son, and his daughters have given us three grandsons so far.
I live in the country on my family estate, where I ran a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter for ten years and consider this my second greatest achievement only behind my family.
 

​A Drop-Off Problem
 
We have a drop-off problem in America.
We must decide which restroom
one can use when nature beckons.
So far, tumult reigns among the people.
 
If we declare both genders equal
as well as every variation within the two
everyone can share the same restroom 
and stand or sit as necessity requires.
 
But some find this approach offensive
and if they win, perhaps we should
evaluate what some Third World folks
have used peacefully for centuries.
 
They dig a hole behind the bushes
and stack some leaves nearby.
No need to have a plunger.
When so moved, just drop by.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

​A Gift from the Piltdown Man
 
We do our best to avoid
the Zika Virus. We smack
mosquitoes and avoid
tanned folks just back
from two weeks in the tropics.
 
The Zika Virus is
something we acquire
but the Virus Ignoramus is
something we inherit
from the Piltdown Man.
 
To one degree or another
we all suffer from the
Virus Ignoramus.
Recessive in you and me
and those with whom we agree
 
it breaks out like a rash
and stays forever on those 
with whom we disagree.
No wonder we talk only to
folks with whom we agree.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

​A Part of Your Heart
 
The guillotine dropped
between you and a friend
over coffee and small talk.
 
The first time it dropped
it was someone who said
something that took 
 
a part of your heart.
Years later you wonder how
a silly comment like that
 
could doom a friendship
that had bloomed for years. 
But you raised the blade again
 
in case someone else took
another part of your heart.
And, of course, someone did.
 
The blade’s back up and ready
but you know you’ve dropped it
too fast and too often.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

​A Father Must Be Careful
 
I told my son
now that he’s a father
he has to be careful about
 
what he says around his child.
No swearing, of course,
but other things as well
 
are not appropriate to say
in front of a child growing up.
I told him something
 
I remember from long ago
my father said to me
when I was just a tyke.
 
I was looking out the window
watching squirrels in spring
romping on the lawn.
 
My father hated squirrels
because they ate tomatoes
in his garden every summer.
 
He said to me that day
squirrels are just rats
with the wrong tail.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

​Distressed Jeans
 
He doesn’t understand distressed jeans.
Designer jeans with rents and tears
look like the rags he grew up in
 
wearing other people’s discards.
His mother got his jeans from a charity
and they tore easily when he wore them.
 
He had to wear those jeans to school
and other kids made fun of him.
Decades later now he remembers
 
school days and can’t forget them.
Today he helps the poor with the
remnant from his small pension.
 
Yet he finds it strange the rich
pay to look poor and the poor
look that way for free.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

Hair Power by Piers Anthony
Review by Theresa 
 
ABOUT THE BOOK
Terminal cancer patient, Quiti, walks into an abandoned building planning on taking her life. 

Instead, she encounters a telepathic ball of hair that insists it is an alien seeking to facilitate diplomatic communication on Earth. 

Quiti assumes it is all a hallucination conjured up by her brain tumor. 

Because of this assumption, when she saves the alien’s life and it insists on doing Quiti a favor in return, she only asks for her hair back. She soon discovers, however, that the creature’s gift extends much further than her new locks that can change color with a thought. As her powers grow and her deadly illness goes into remission, Quiti quickly realizes that there are those that would want to use her for her abilities and is forced to leave behind everything that she knew. 

Will this blessing curse her to a life on the run, or does the mysterious hairball have more in store for her? 

Piers Anthony, critically acclaimed author of the New York Times bestselling Xanth series, brings together humor and adventure in this original story of loyalty, friendship, extraordinary powers, and hair. 
 
MY REVIEW (5 stars)
Honestly, I didn’t know what to think when I first started reading this story. The strange hairball type figure that Quiti, the main character, finds while on her way to kill herself took me aback. The sharp, simple writing I noticed from the first page alone led me to believe that this would be another realistic fiction book. Perhaps I should have read the blurb before I started.
 
However, being taken aback actually made me enjoy the story even more. I had no idea what to expect while reading, and I found the gifts that Quiti acquired intriguing. In truth, I’ve never read a story like this before, and I have always considered myself a lover of fantasy-type books. Although I rarely felt much tension from the plot – except perhaps in one scene – I didn’t want to put the book down. Was it the strangeness of the hair? Was it Quiti’s suddenly adventurous life? Was it the ordinary moments sprinkled amongst scenes of power and intrigue?
 
I’m not sure I can quite put my finger on it. My only wish is that the characters were a bit more developed. However, they were still able to carry the story to fun places that drove me to want to read more.
 
If you want a fast and interesting read, definitely pick this one up. It’s worth the read!
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans. In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.

​A Poem for Catholics
 
Natural Family Planning
has its ups and downs
so to speak but it often 
 
works quite well.
But when the calendar
says not tonight
 
I ask my wife to please
go in another room
with that banana.
 
 
Donal Mahoney

Children’s Book Review for ‘Really Woolly 5 Minute Bedtime Treasury’ by Bonnie Rickner Jensen, Illustrated by Donna Chapman and Julie Sawyer Phillips
ABOUT THE BOOK:  
Cuddle up with your favorite Really Woolly® bedtime stories, and make bedtime a sweet time!
Find your favorite Really Woolly® storybooks combined into one beautiful book that you and your little ones will love to use at bedtime. With a simple 5 minute format, the Really Woolly 5-Minute Bedtime Treasury will allow you to spend quality time with your children before they drift off to sleep and won't leave you exhausted when they beg for just one more story.
 
MY REVIEW:  
​
5 stars
This makes for the perfect baby shower gift. The inside front page is a spot for you to write who gave the book as a present and for what occasion, and the date.  The book also has a ribbon to mark your page. Page 10 is a place for “someone who loves me” to write their own personal prayer, and the adjacent page is a place for “my own bedtime prayer.” How precious is that!

The stories themselves are designed to be easy to read and in a short time period – perfect for bedtime.  They are composed of the typical childhood bible stories.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. I was not required to post a positive review, and all opinions are my own.