Terry McDonagh – So Much Depends on Death

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I have always had a bad opinion of politicians, especially Irish ones, who seem to spend their time attending funerals to capture votes. They have no interest in the living or the dead except when it comes to votes, but they do believe in killing off the opposition and making sure they have weak subordinates to make themselves look better. In this poem, the cat and the fox behave according to rules laid down by nature. They don’t realise the politician will trample on nature if it helps his political career.

This poem is included in my latest collection, Ripple Effect – Arlen House ‘13.

So Much Depends on Death

The cat and fox are true cynics.
They have the rabbit pinned down.

This time, we’ll finish him, but
we have no intention of sharing him,

they seem to say, as they sit like misfits
on either side of the rabbit burrow.

Neither cat nor fox give an inch
for an hour. Then perfect and unbeaten,

they strut in opposite directions like
a couple of be and end alls. Intrusion:

a politician is using the radio to appeal
to good nature. Cat and fox beware.

He is the sniper you cannot see in the flatness
he has created. So much depends on death.


© Terry McDonagh

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