Veteran’s Day Is Every Day for Him
“Screw the Vernal Equinox”
is all Cootie Kelly ever says
sitting triumphant with his
foaming glass of Guinness
on the last stool at Maggie’s
Stag & Doe Inn.
A stranger might walk in
or a friend of many years
and ask Cootie for the time
or if he has a match or
where a restaurant is
and his answer never varies.
“Screw the Vernal Equinox”
is all Cootie Kelly ever says
even before he went to Korea
and came home with medals
and a lovely bride, a nice lady
who makes her own kimchee,
a piquant dish of pickled cabbage.
Cootie likes it so much he
brings a jar with him every day
to eat with Maggie’s grilled
sausages and hard-boiled eggs,
soaking yolks in hot sauce first.
A lunch like this washed down
with plenty of foaming Guinness
has set Cootie Kelly up for life.
No wonder all he ever says is
“Screw the Vernal Equinox.”
Donal Mahoney
