Armadillo Home

Rush Hour, Chicago

Early evening traffic
rather heavy.
Autos armadillo home

along the Outer Drive
as people out of mouths
of buildings enter mouths

of anything that moves
wherever every evening
they are going. Tonight

they interrupt the passion
of another person’s day,
the crone beside the hydrant

who once again this evening
bows and swoops and curses
as she burlaps broken glass

making faces at the people
propped in autos staring
as she lets the traffic pass.

Donal Mahoney