a senryu
An imam should say
eternity lasts too long
to sit by the fire
Donal Mahoney
An Imam Should Say
a senryu An imam should say eternity lasts too long to sit by the fire Donal Mahoney
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Two Coots on New Year’s Eve
Months roar by like weeks and weeks disappear like days, two coots in a bar admit on New Year’s Eve, reminiscing over a beer and counting birthdays, wondering what awaits them on the other side. Walt’s optimistic. He says the other side means no more pills, no more referrals, happiness again. “Bunk,” says Elmo. "There’s nothing on the other side. Take my word for it. There’s only diddly-squat in the ether." Walt says that’s a nasty thing to say in light of Sister Mary Rose. She paddled them in third grade for making fun of Patsy Foley. “I deserved the paddle,” Elmo says. “She never hit us hard enough to hurt but I yelled anyway to make her feel good. She’s out there now swimming in the ether. I’ll see her soon." Walt hails the waitress for two more beers and another pack of salted peanuts. Then he tells Elmo as he does every New Year’s Eve to sell his condo and move in with him. Plenty of room. Elmo says "no can do." All those prayers would kill him. Both men agree to meet again next New Year’s Eve if all goes well. Neither wants to leave the other sitting in a little bar on New Year’s Eve, cracking peanuts over a single beer while the other’s swimming in the ether. Or maybe smiling on the other side. Donal Mahoney New Year's Resolutions
Jim Daley and Joe McCarthy had something in common. They died at 80 going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Walt O'Brien, their protege, found this out when he called the homes of both men on New Year's Day, an annual custom for Walt, something he started doing years ago just to find out how his old mentors were doing. Jim's widow spoke to Walt on the phone and told him Jim had died from a stroke on Halloween. They had found his body in the morning, half in the bathroom and half in the hallway, cold as a mackerel fresh out of the sea. Jim's widow said she was a sound sleeper. Walt thought she should have heard his body fall since Jim was a big man, all belly and buttocks, as Jim himself would put it. Joe's widow said her Joe had tripped on the bathroom rug on All Soul's Day, banged his head on the commode and died in intensive care a week later, never emerging from his coma. She was happy the priest got there in time to administer the last rites before Joe stopped breathing. His last breath, she said, was a gurgle. Jim and Joe had been more like uncles to Walt than mentors. They came into his life when Walt was in grammar school. It was just after his dad had been killed in Korea and Walt needed all the support he could get. Over the next 50 years Walt had stayed in touch with both men, calling them on New Year's Day from different cities. Their advice over the years helped Walt survive three job losses, a foreclosure, two car wrecks and four divorces. Sometimes their advice dealt with the big issues of life. But sometimes they commented on smaller phenomena as well. Last year, for example, Jim had warned Walt that growing old meant not being able to put your underwear on standing up. "I have to sit on the bed now," Jim had said, sounding almost depressed for a man known for his jocularity. Right after Jim told him about the underwear problem, Walt called Joe and asked if Jim was right. Joe too confirmed he now had to sit on the bed to get his underwear on. He told Walt every man has to sit down at some point in life, provided he lives long enough. "Age has its requirements," Joe said. "There's a happy medium, I suppose. If I had died a few years ago, I wouldn't be having this problem right now." At 60, Walt could still put his underwear on standing up but it was getting more difficult. He had to hop on one leg, pogo-stick style, to get the job done. But sitting down was not an option. Walt was a proud man who had overcome bigger problems in life and he'd keep hopping for as long as he could. One time, however, he almost fell but landed in a chair. His fourth wife Belinda still laughs about it even though they're no longer married. She even called two of his ex-wives and told them about it. They couldn't stop laughing. Walt knows that one day he will have to sit down to put his underwear on unless he dies before that. He figures he has at least a few good years left. But after hearing that Jim and Joe had died trying to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night, Walt decided to take certain steps to avoid a similar mishap in his own life. First, he installed night lights along the baseboards going from the bedroom to the bathroom. At midnight the hallway now shines like a small expressway with no traffic at all. Then Walt made some New Year's resolutions, a step he had never taken before. As a result he now eats salads and fruit plates instead of double cheeseburgers and lots of ice cream. What's more he reads the Bible now and then in the morning. He's even quit drinking beer late into the night. The new Walt now sits back in his leather recliner, sips wine coolers out of old jelly jars and listens, over and over, to his favorite recording of an old Irish reel called "Toss the Feathers." It’s played beautifully, he says, by the McNulty Family, most of whose members, he figures, are by now dead. When he was a boy, Jim and Joe had introduced Walt to traditional Irish music and even taught him a few steps of the reel, jig and hornpipe. Once in awhile, when he's had enough wine, Walt tries to do a few of those steps and he succeeds to his own satisfaction. And, of course, he still puts his underwear on standing up, one hop at a time. Donal Mahoney A Tour Through An Ill Mind
Gather around. The tour is about to commence. I hope you don’t get motion sick. Make sure you are in the right line. This tour is for The Museum of an Ill Mind Hang on to the handrail at all times. The foundation can shift on a dime. You may experience things you don’t Understand Don’t ask me I don’t know, neither does this man Dianne Lowe Breakfield Dreaming Big Publications announces Piers Anthony's newest release, Hair Suite, sequel to Hair Power!
Paperback: $8.00 Ebook: $2.99 (available free for Kindle Unlimited users) Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hair-Suite-Sequel-Power/dp/1540843823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482898888&sr=8-1&keywords=Hair+Suite+piers+anthony Publisher's Website: dreamingbigpublications.com Author's Website: hipiers.com ABOUT THE BOOK: Quiti and the rest of the Hair Suits have just set up the Hair Suite, the embassy of the alien Hair Balls, when they learn they have competition. Alien cyborgs called Chip Monks want to win Earth for themselves. The two species must duel for control. These rivals discover a third alien species that threatens to destroy Earth, and have to join up quickly in order to protect the planet they are both seeking to win. Along the way, they get swept up in a world of intergalactic politics, wormholes, and role-playing. Will they be able to save Planet Earth in time? Piers Anthony, critically acclaimed author of the New York Times bestselling Xanth series, shows off his signature originality and wit in this entertaining and inventive sequel to Hair Power. BOOK BLOGGERS, VLOGGERS, REVIEWERS: Electronic review copies are available upon request. Please contact Kristi at dreamingbigpublications@outlook.com to request your copy in PDF, MOBI, or EPUB format. No physical copies available. A Legacy in Brief
The media is brimming with reports about the legacy of Barack Obama. He’s accomplished so much it’s tough for experts to name his signature achievement. But the 2016 election said it in neon blinking in Times Square: Trump! Donal Mahoney Holiday Parties
Millie comes home bawling from another holiday party and Willie asks what’s the problem. Millie says her friends are cheese balls. “They’re all widows, short and round," and she’s afraid when Willie dies she’ll eat everything in the fridge and become a cheese ball, too. Willie hugs his beloved Millie and assures her with a kiss, “You’ll never be a cheese ball, Darling You're too tall. A cheese stick, maybe.” Donal Mahoney Another Christmas Alone
Widow in a rocker pets her calico cat long strokes slowly. With the cat purring and the widow humming Beethoven fills the house with memories of the many years of mistletoe and aftershave as snowflakes dot the window. Donal Mahoney Nest By Terry Goodkind Published by Skyhorse Publishing ABOUT THE BOOK: Kate Bishop thought she was an ordinary woman living and working in Chicago. But when she unexpectedly finds herself in the middle of a police investigation into a brutal murder, Kate makes a shocking discovery: she has the ability to identify killers just by looking into their eyes. Trying to grasp the implications of this revelation, Kate is drawn deep into a world of terror. She is tracked down by Jack Raines, a mysterious author with shadowy connections to those who share her ability. He tells Kate that her unique vision also makes her a target, and only he can help her. Now, hot on Jack and Kate’s heels are a force of super-predators, vicious and bloodthirsty killers who will stop at nothing until Kate is dead. But even as she fights for her life, Kate still isn’t sure if Jack is really her salvation, or another killer coming to slaughter her. An explosive mix of action and suspense, Nest is a landmark new novel from worldwide bestselling author Terry Goodkind, and a complete reinvention of the contemporary thriller. Travel with Goodkind on a dangerous journey to the back alleys of the darknet, to the darkest corners of our minds, and to the very origins of what it is to be human. Genre: Thrillers & Suspense 432 pages MY REVIEW - AMY O. 4 out of 5 stars I don’t typically read thrillers, but this one I thoroughly enjoyed. I was hooked from the first page, and I found the entire story very suspenseful and deliciously dark—sometimes a little too dark, for my tastes. Kate was a strong female character that made the narrative a pleasure to read. Goodkind’s action-writing is brilliant, although his dialogue and description sometimes felt a bit long-winded. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful read—it may keep you up at night. MY REVIEW (5 stars) - Theresa E. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book. I have been a fan of Terry Goodkind since I read Wizard’s First Rule, and I was interested to see what one of his thrillers would be like. Only one word can describe it accurately: terrifying. I was drawn in by the suspense and confusion of the first chapter, the distance I felt from seeing the world through a mentally disabled person’s eyes. Even when the perspective changes, I still found myself biting my nails and jumping at a swaying branch outside my window. The blood and gore surprised me even though I knew that was a part of the package when I picked up this book. Maybe it’s because it’s just so violent. Terry Goodkind knows how to make an impact and leave an image haunting your mind for hours, days, afterwards. It may be scary, but that is a mark of a good author. My only critique is that some of the passages between terrifying moments seemed to drag. I understood most of it for suspense purposes, but there were definitely a couple of moments where I felt a conversation could have been cut short and I would have still felt the same amount of terror. There were just, at times, a bit too much explanation. However, I saw that as a small problem that barely hindered my reading experience. Overall, a great read for someone who loves a good thrill. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Terry Goodkind is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and the creator of the most controversial new thriller of our lifetime. His work is often called "provocative", "courageously original", "terrifying", and even "dangerous". More than anything; Terry Goodkind's books are character-driven stories that take a brutally honest inward look at ourselves. With a focus on the complexity of the human psyche, Terry Goodkind has an uncanny grasp for crafting compelling stories of people like you and me, trapped in terrifying situations. As a resident of Nevada, Terry Goodkind deeply appreciates the rights and freedoms of the United States, although worries about how quickly those rights are eroding. His passion for writing is a parallel to his passion for life. Terry Goodkind is a part-time race car driver, a devoted husband to Jeri, the love of his life, and a friend to animal-kind. "My privilege in life is the joy of writing books and telling stories about people who fascinate me, the good and the bad. I am grateful to all of my readers for the critical role they play in making these books possible. Your passion is my passion, and I thank you." - Terry Goodkind 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. https://smile.amazon.com/Nest-Terry-Goodkind/dp/1510722874/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480965885&sr=1-1&keywords=nest+by+terry+goodkind Memories
If one could store them in the attic without stir and turn to other things, to picking fruit, perhaps, or seeding it, one could afford the dalliance of an hour for one would have the years one knows will not be those whose paralytic youth has just begun, the years whose summer plea for laughter and for kiss somersault the hair and scimitar the smile: the years the sun, the moon, the stars can never order stop. Donal Mahoney |
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