Elisabeth Farrell's poems have appeared in the Sow's Ear Poetry Review, The Healing Muse, and Color Wheel. She received an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars, where she was a Jane Kenyon Scholar. She lives in southern Maine with her husband and a demanding little dog.

VETERAN'S DAY AT THE CORNER STORE

The boy is twelve

and nervous beneath

his camouflage jacket.

The crusty woman

smokes a cigarette

and fills in the details:

Doe. 20-gauge shotgun.

One hour ago.

First kill.

The boy gives her a dollar.

She gives him a registration tag

and a wink.

His eyes fall.

He tugs at his shirtsleeve

and uses it to wipe sweat

from his upper lip.

His hands are clammy

and suddenly old.