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Poem – A Sisyphus Moment (By Donal Mahoney)

A Sisyphus Moment
 
There’s a force that makes 
a boulder hard to push up a hill. 
And there’s always a boulder 
and always a hill when it comes to  
helping the poor find something 
to eat, somewhere to live, a job
they can go to every day.
 
Sometimes the boulder slips 
and rolls back downhill
and Sisyphus jumps aside.
Accidents happen. 
 
But sometimes the one  
who owns that hill says no
and blows his trumpet and gives
the boulder a mighty shove 
and Sisyphus gets run over. 
 
Then the poor must wait 
a century longer
for another Sisyphus
to volunteer and get 
behind the boulder.
 
No wonder the poor
are getting together 
and grumbling louder.
They know Sisyphus isn’t
the answer to the problem. 
They must push the boulder.


Author Bio:

Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He has had fiction and poetry published in various publications in the U.S. and elsewhere. Among them are The Galway Review (Ireland), The Recusant (England), The Missing Slate (Pakistan), Guwahatian Magazine (india), Bluepepper (Australia), The Osprey Journal (Wales), Public Republic (Bulgaria), and The Istanbul Literary Review (Turkey). Some of his earliest work can be found at http://booksonblog12.blogspot.com and some of his newer work at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.gpbT6XZy.dpbs