Poetry Potpourri
by James E. Tate

Writing Thanksgiving Poetry

With the change in season, let's turn to writing poetry for one of fall's greatest holidays: Thanksgiving Day.

Poets love to write about Thanksgiving, a holiday tucked away near the end of a month embellished with lingering autumn colors. Senses add visualization to both prose and poetry, propelling forward, making our work memorable. In this poem find all five senses playing in free verse.

Thanksgiving Dinner Blessing*

We remember the day before Thanksgiving
Old Tom Turkey strutting around
Tail feathers spread,
Warning errant hens
Encroaching on corn kernels.

Thanksgiving Day we smell
Tantalizing aromas of sweet potatoes,
Green peas, cranberry sauce, stuffed turkey (Tom?),
And Grandma’s pumpkin pies.

We hear the steam pulsating
The pressure cooker
Ham and brown beans boiling.
Test the doneness of rising rolls
Gently squeezing smiling brown cheeks
Just begging to be sampled.

At the table taste sage-laced dressing
Garnished with steaming giblet gravy
Once again thank God for a
Delicious Thanksgiving dinner blessing.

An insider looks at the first Thanksgiving Dinner

After a long and hunger-filled first winter, the Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long cold winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.

The following poem portrays the misgivings a young colonist had before learning how sharing neighbors helped the struggling Pilgrims.

First Thanksgiving*

"We thank you Father," the youth heard them say,
"For all your blessings to us today."
With hunger gnawing as ever before,
He wondered what they were thankful for.

They were giving thanks, for what? He asked.
The Pilgrims had starved the whole year past.
Imagination stretched to the limit,
And his heart had no thanks in it.

Five kernels of corn, he scowled in scorn,
For hunger raged since he was born.
They worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord,
As he watched them pray in one accord.

Perhaps he was having selfish thoughts,
But his stomach gnawed, tied in knots.
Then food on a big table was quickly spread,
Causing him anguish for what he had said.

For good neighbors had brought them food,
Which he ate and ate, and changed his mood.
Some dark natives had come to their aid,
And now, he had no reason to be afraid.

He learned a lesson to trust in God,
For next year's crop, planted in sod.
For Thanksgiving Day, he prayed now,
Would continue forever somehow.

While these hardy Pilgrims in 1621 may not have called it Thanksgiving, they laid the groundwork for a future that we all hold dear. We now celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November each year.

The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.

In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation.

Finally, let us add a sense of humor at Old Tom Turkey's expense.

Tom’s Last Gobble*

They tied old Tom with a hobble
and listened to his gobble,
On Thanksgiving eve.

The next day Tom was asking
Who was planning on fasting,
For he'd kindly like to leave.

We're all planning on eating,
and want you there for greeting,
Said the soldiers all.

We promise to untie your hobble,
So we can hear your gobble,
echoing down the hall.

So they ate turkey and dressing,
immediately after the blessing...
All were happy but Tom.

They released him from his hobble,
And you could hear the soldiers gobble
Every last echo of Tom.

Perhaps you would like to sharpen the pencil and write a poem to share with family and friends. Go with God and be blessed.