A Modern Fairy Tale: Trumpelstiltskin by Donal Mahoney

A Modern Fairy Tale: Trumpelstiltskin Trumpelstiltskin is a fairy tale not written by the Brothers Grimm. It’s written every day by Fox and CNN. America hears it every hour and half the nation loves it but the other half hates Continue reading A Modern Fairy Tale: Trumpelstiltskin by Donal Mahoney

A Hundred Bucks for Ear Drops by Donal Mahoney

A Hundred Bucks for Ear Drops We have one of those medical plans, my wife and I. The co-pays let us see a doctor, have a procedure, pay for medications. Can’t remember ever paying full price. Especially for medications. Our Continue reading A Hundred Bucks for Ear Drops by Donal Mahoney

A Very Heavy Trash Can by Donal Mahoney

A Very Heavy Trash Can A neighbor lady I hadn’t seen in a year I heard was bedridden. Her former husband dropped by, asked if I’d to take in her trash can when I brought in my own. He lived Continue reading A Very Heavy Trash Can by Donal Mahoney

Bulbs Alive by Donal Mahoney

Bulbs Alive A doctor by day Ralph spends his nights ordering tulip bulbs from Holland beautiful and rare to arrive in autumn to plant and think about for months ahead until spring arrives and the tulips become a rainbow beautiful Continue reading Bulbs Alive by Donal Mahoney

A Good Reason to be Illegal by Donal Mahoney

A Good Reason to be Illegal Tim’s mother told him that in 1926 she was a teen in Ireland who hid on a ship sailing to America. She had no papers when she ran away from her parents’ thatched-roof hut, Continue reading A Good Reason to be Illegal by Donal Mahoney

Anyone Who Steps in the Way by Donal Mahoney

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 Continue reading Anyone Who Steps in the Way by Donal Mahoney

A Rice Cake at Midnight by Donal Mahoney

A Rice Cake at Midnight Midnight in San Francisco. Yoshiko is 93 and she can’t sleep so she sits in her recliner and nibbles on a rice cake, sips cold tea, and thinks about her parents who died in flames Continue reading A Rice Cake at Midnight by Donal Mahoney

A Dappled People Now by Donal Mahoney

A Dappled People Now Six months ago an old black couple moved into an old brick house on a block of old white people. A dither erupted over the fences as neighbors realized there was nothing they could do now. Continue reading A Dappled People Now by Donal Mahoney

A Confrontation Looms by Donal Mahoney

A Confrontation Looms You think he’d be more grateful. Neither rich nor poor he’s never wanted for anything. He’s always had what he needs but never had any gratitude until the day his car broke down in a poor neighborhood Continue reading A Confrontation Looms by Donal Mahoney

Distressed Jeans by 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 Continue reading Distressed Jeans by Donal Mahoney