Mess Sergeant Kelly, a nice old guy,
always asked us as we left the mess hall,
“What did you think of today’s chow, boys?”
We always gave the same charitable reply
just to make him smile.
Kelly was a little deaf
and couldn’t tell the difference
between “Swell” and “Swill”.
Gene Newman was a USAF cryptologist during the Korean War and is a retired engineer and journalist, including stringing for the N.Y. Times and being a crossword puzzle creator for the New York Times and USA Today.
Very nice. Great word play.
Wonderful piece, great structure. Evoked the mess hall at Parris Island, can still smell the bacon. Thank you.