'A Matter of Beans' by Donal Mahoney

​A Matter of Beans
 
It’s a matter of beans,
says Rosie, 79, legally blind,
her fingers dancing across
a Bible in braille, when a
reporter asks her about
 
politicians who haven't passed
a budget and Meals on Wheels has
has been suspended so Rosie
no longer gets one hot meal a day
delivered by a volunteer who chats
before driving off to serve another
 
worse off than I am, says Rosie.
It’s a matter of beans, she says,
dried beans I keep in a drawer
and cook up in a pot and will eat
today, tomorrow and the next day
 
with hot sauce if I have some.
Then I'll cook up another pot
and make them stretch, she says,
until they pass that budget.
They always do, she says.
They want to go on vacation.
 
 
Donal Mahoney