Wearin' O' the Green

The Saints be preserved! Begorra! Today Saint Patrick reigns! An excuse to get the Irish blood a-coursin' through yer veins! A time for clans with even a tad of Irish in their genes, To celebrate the holiday with the Wearin' O' The Greens! O'Sullivans, O'Shaughnessys, O'Reillys and O'Neils, Will be cavortin' and dancin' to snappy jigs and reels! Anon, they'll savor corned beef, cabbage and Irish stew, Toastin' the Auld Sod with hilarious hubbub and ado! Happy harmonizers will sing "When Irish Eyes Are Smilin'", Gazin' into the limpid eyes of Irish colleens so beguilin'! Revelers will belt out "Biddy McGraw" and "McNamara's Band". Goodwill and fellowship will prevail throughout the land! Jaunty old-timers sport their shillelaghs in small-town parades. Sprightly leprechauns and fairies leap about in masquerades. Saint Patrick must look down upon his flock with some dismay. What he hoped would be a holy day is now a rowdy holiday! Hibernia, Eire, The Emerald Isle, Erin - call it what you may, But ain't we thrilled that the Irish set aside this day? At least once a year we can shed our usual dour mein, And joyfully participate in the Wearin' O' The Green! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired