When I was Falling

by Neil Donelley

My first thought,

This can’t be happening,

but it was. At the end of the fast walk

I missed my footing, and in that powerless

moment, I fell, face forward; couldn’t stop.

*

I lay there, hoping no one had seen the fall.

Earlier, when I started, there was a

young man in a parked car scrolling

intently on his iPhone, while alongside in

the passenger seat, a wolfhound stared.

*

Even now, the young man is still scrolling,

and the wolfhound is staring. Eventually,

I struggle to my feet, thinking, This must

be what falling in love is like. A complete

loss of control, with concussion awaiting.

Neil Donnelly

Neil Donnelly is the author of the poetry collections Tullamore Train and Sister Caravaggio, and several plays produced at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.