Patriotic Ghost Walkers
By !!glenn!! !!capers!!
21 March 2008
Patriotic Ghost Walkers
St. Patrick's Day – Celebrating the Green has changed.
St. Patrick is believed to have driven the snakes from Ireland. Once a pagan himself, St. Patrick is one of Christianity's most widely known figures.
The modern secular holiday is based on the original Christian saint's feast day also thought to be the date of the saint's death. In 1737, Irish immigrants to the United States began observing the holiday publicly in Boston and held the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City in 1766.
Today, the tradition continues with people from all walks and heritages by wearing green, eating Irish food, and attending parades. St. Patrick's Day is bursting with folklore; from the shamrock to the leprechaun and to pinching those that are not wearing green.
What followed in the parade were proud firemen strong virile and now in the eyes of Americans living stars, all heroes regardless if they where there or not marched up Fifth Avenue like the spirits of those lost.
Maybe that holiday, that march in the face of the wind was the souls of lost friends and family members touching our hearts in a sea of red in honor of the New York City Fire Department.
This moment within the pageantry of old St. Patrick's parade, one could not visualize the old tradition as this majestic wave of ghost dancers passing the stagnant crowd turning the sea of green into a sea of red. There are no more leprechauns, no pot of gold and no rainbow to chase after. Just the news stumbling comatose with commentaries like a bad coffee table book of pictures.
Maybe we have lost the magic or our childhood. I personally lost a friend that was a firemen in the tower. His name was Vernon Cheery. I recall Vernon as someone we all liked. As kids when we played baseball he was always the sixth person picked on a team. You could count on a base hit and two men to round the bases for the victory. As a children I sat next to him . He was cutting out a leprechaun face and paper beard. It was his costume , Our teacher Mr. O'Sullivan was Irish. His great delight was teaching us to sing simple Irish tunes we learned in class. Vernon Always knew the lyrics; he sang loud making it easy for us to follow to avoid demerits. It's still a fog, like the concrete which became a cloud of particles.
The few people in green behind the police lines just didn't fit as they roared for their picture to be taken for a glimpse on the evening news.
How disconnected we have become, to the theme of the parade on St. Patrick's Day.
Glenn Capers
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