Monks in the Orchard Picking Peaches

Young monk 
and old monk
in the orchard
picking peaches,
sunny and plump,
ready for canning.

Carrying bushels
to the wagon cart,
the young monk 
asks the old monk 
what to look out for 
when growing old.

The old monk 
pauses and says
not much. 
Life stays the same
for the most part.
Monks work and pray
but an old monk 
works slower and 
prays faster.

But not to worry,
the old monk advises.
He admits he's 
going deaf
but that's just
an inconvenience 
since God uses 
sign language.
Peaches like these
have no need to talk.


Donal Mahoney
donalmahoney@charter.net
Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, USA and has had poems published Ancient Heart Magazine and other publications in the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.