‘And there can be days like this,’
and the boy smiled and sausages
swam past him in shorts and shades
and in the sky dogs with Madonna mikes
flew over kittens in orange coloured skirts
and Beyoncé in their boogie.
‘And there can be days like this,’
his mother said as she painted
pictures of cows in caps and snakes
in sarongs shopping in stores
for shoes to put on. ‘Put on what,’
he asked, ‘they have no feet?’
‘But still,’ she carried on,
‘there can be days like this
all wonder and magic.’
‘But how,’ he asked as he sat
on her bed, as the machine
kept beeping, as the white coats
kept creeping, ‘just close your eyes
and see with your heart
what your sight can no longer see.’
There can be days like this.
All words and photographs by Damien B. Donnelly
Poem for Day 10 of National Poetry Writing Month
Damien B. Donnelly 
I couldn’t tell where this was going, but I was going along with the ride. So poignant.
Thank you Merril. I wasn’t sure either and was surprised where I ended up.
Isn’t it cool when that happens? 🙂
It really is, I sometimes feel like ghosts are whispering in my ears or directing my hand along the page and then I read back over what they have to say
Yes, exactly!
This read to me like the kind of thoughts a child would have when he’s slightly delirious, in a fever, the nonsensical things his mother is saying are also in his head. It made me ache a little, as if he was going under and might never come back up. Perfect.
Thanks Jane. I guess I was looking for diversions that get us through the tougher days, childish innocence and acceptance of the extraordinary to help us cope with the aches and pains of ordinary life.
I can see that now. The images are so very childlike, stream of consciousness.
I know why this one rattled something. It’s as though we were writing in tandem. I wrote a poem earlier today ‘There are days when it makes no difference’ and you wrote “and there can be days like this”.
Both are about sickness, hospitals and imaginings. How I read it anyway. The Oracle must be listening.
The oracle is always listening I think. So often there are similar themes or visions in poems at the same time, maybe the oracle is trying to give us all a little heads up. I’m listening out now. Looking for a little air. ✌️🤗
We’re all the same ultimately, with the same desires and preoccupations. Perhaps that’s what she’s telling us.
Such sweetness and sadness all mixed together. “see with your heart” (K)
I guess for every low a high lies waiting to be discovered 🤞
Oh this is *lovely* and so poignant in such a child-like way (I dropped over from Jane’s blog, and I’m very glad I did!) It’s beautiful and sad and achey.
Thank you so much for your beautiful comment and for dropping by. Jane’s blog is such an ocean of beauty in itself so any guest coming from there is always welcome. 🤗🤗
It IS re: Jane’s blog! She always inspires me and leaves me in awe of her writing. Blogger can be a bit of a pain in the butt these days, but in case you’d like to drop by, I’m at http://shukuen.blogspot.com (I am way behind for GloPoWriMo though, I still have to catch up to Day 13!)
Oh please, life gets in the way of writing far too often. I would like a little time controller so I can pause it at times, catch up, take naps, eat cake and then turn it back on again looking cool and calm and not patchy and panting. I will definitely come over to visit your blog