It's St. Patrick's Day Not St. Patrick's Month

St. Patrick's Day is rapidly approaching, a great day to wear green and a shamrock, take in some bag pipes, watch a parade, read some chapters in How The Irish Saved Civilization and honor a race of very creative and romantic people in ways other than partying all day, weekend,  week and month..  One can only hope that the other day of great celebration, Cinco de Mayo, is not hit with the creep of more tequila and cervazas into a weekend, week and month
Holiday Creep St. Patrick's Day

When diplomacy fails and a nation puts boots on the ground,

There’s a normal trend that usually is proven unsound

What is supposed to be an easy in followed by an easy out

As a complacent foe is supposed to be a swift and easy rout

Drags on and on as the number of boots continues to multiply

Quick victory and easy exit events seem always to defy

Always more boots to on the field avoid defeat

In the lexicon of war, it’s known as mission creep

In the retail wars for profit, it goes by another name

But the focus and desire is pretty much the same

To avoid the stigma of retailing red ink with hopes of profit in defeat

For holiday shopping the phenomena is known as Holiday Creep

Look only to Christmas to see what is meant

Retailers desperate to get more shopping dollars spent

Christmas cards and decorations in the stores right after Halloween

TV ads and live Santas here and there now starting to be seen

Black Friday now officially starting in the wee morning at 12:01

Some retail giants even open before the turkey is carved or done

A day for a holiday becomes a weekend to celebrate

The retail profit monsters are impossible to sate

Even that icon of religious holidays from that beloved Emerald Isle

When everyone is wearing green, all want kisses and everyone has a smile

St. Patrick’s Day noted with countdowns in every bar, starting with March 18

Is now a weekend and a week of Bushmill, Guinness, Harp held by those in seas of green

This Irish poet from the Alaskan shores would celebrants more days to party never scorn

Even watching the sacrilege diluting the Black Bush with coffee true Irish should mourn

In a day, weekend, week, or soon to be maybe a month, is there more than an excuse to drink?

That wearing a shamrock and guzzling green beer somehow gives one a Gaelic however transitory link?

What image does weaving or stumbling down a street?

Slobbering a forced kiss on any unlucky colleen to meet?

A race of creative, romantic thinkers, poets and writers and saviors of Western Civ.

Propelled into the Dark Ages when knowledge almost ceased to live?

Ireland may have its share of unfortunate  sots

But also a surplus of spiritual and creative thoughts

Be Irish on this day, not with far too many drinks consumed

But rather a time for some prayer and reflection in one’s creative rooms

Should you decide not, but to give the brewers, distillers, and dispensers your hard earned cash.

At least have a sober driver to avoid the late night or early morning crash!

Although St. Patrick was a master when it came to ridding Ireland of its snakes,

He is weak as a patron Saint for pardons of DUIs or treating hangover ills, chills and shakes.

© March 9. 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet