Near dwarf this woman.
Foreign born. Minsk,
perhaps. Nose

a fist. Hair
a whisk broom
only black. Her back

an Orthodox cupola,
her arms braids of gym rope
lowered to the floor.

Orangutans could climb
those ropes, hand
over hand, no rose

no purple
doughnuts
on their hinds.

Near dwarf this woman.
Foreign born. Minsk,
perhaps.

Her hands, all gristle,
hang an inch, no more,
above her shining floor.

Previously published in Focus Midwest Magazine.

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Donal Mahoney has had poetry and fiction appear in a variety of publications, in print and online, in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. “Mop Woman” was first published in 1970.

Object(s) to bring back to life: “A photo of my father, who fought for the Irish Republican Army back in 1920.”