My Thanksgiving Quandary

It’s not that I’m not thankful because I am
It’s not that I don’t like yams because I do
It’s not that I hate three-day weeks because I don’t
Here’s the quandary I’m facing here today

If you ask someone to explain Thanksgiving
They mention the pilgrims and how corn is maize
And, how their mother use to make the best stuffing,
The family gathering around and lots to eat

Food is the explanation for Thanksgiving
Whether it’s turkey or goose or ham or all three
Someone knows the best recipe to cook it
And, the best side dishes in the world for it

A holiday to celebrate overeating
We already do that every single day
We take a big holiday and change its name
Turkey Day is a day to celebrate food

I seem to remember when I was fifth grade
We dressed up like pilgrims and Indians
Yes, we called them that back then because who knew?
And, we sat down at a table and gave thanks

There was not a lot of food on this table
Some corn and berries and a bright orange pumpkin
Times were tough back then and they didn’t have food
They gave thanks for being alive and able

Think about it .. for being able… able to live
I think we’ve gotten away from that first meal
We should think about what we are thankful for
Not whether three meats and six vegetables are enough

@Copyright 2007 The above poem and all poetry and photos on this blog cannot be duplicated on the World Wide Web or any other published form without the written permission of the writer/creator at scarlet@rhymecreek.com