And an ode to the much maligned tradition of "it's not really Irish", Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner. And my grandmother.
New England Boiled dinner cooking in a pot
A gourmet meal is something you're not
my grandmother made you this day each year
while humming a tune (but not drinking a beer)
her parents were young when they landed here
to build a new life free from fear
corned beef and cabbage was a rare treat
a way for all ten of their children to eat
it was a new dish to them, to be sure
passed down for decades along with the lore
of lives well lived in a new land
and now my son will give me a hand
we'll make this dinner on this day
to remember the past in our own way
we will make soda bread with it too
while wishing Irish Blessings to you
Celebrate this day with loved ones near
there is no wrong way to cherish those you hold dear
those who are with us, those who are not
what matters most is that they are not forgot.
proving that once again, Joe and I may not be poets
or even very good cooks, but my grandmother would have loved him helping in the kitchen, the way my brothers' and I helped her when we were young.
Happy St. Patrick's Day, Grandma!
