Thanksgiving Poem

THANKS GREAT AND SMALL

By Andrew Hidas

For the Mystery,
the X,
the source of comfort
and question (and cruelty)
and eternal longing and love—

Thanks.

For the leaf flutter,
the ant scurry,
the slant of light on my chair,
this chair, at precisely
5:01 (and 31.6 seconds)
on the afternoon of November 9th,
never seen again through all
the warp and woof of futures unknown—

Thanks.

For these friends
and that food,
the drinks to pair,
the touch of care,
the earth so fair—

Thanks.

For this branch of that tree,
for birds in the air,
a bridge crossing there,
the juice of a pear,
the glint of sun on hair—

Thanks.

For the flesh’s tingle,
(Ooh-uhh-huhh),
for locomotion and
vintner’s potions,
the glory of books,
the gifts of cooks,
all people, this person,
life’s call for immersion—

Thanks, thanks, thanks.

And thanks once more,
It is all in the giving—

Thanks.

***

 

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Thanks to all my photographers over these years!

Rotating banner photos top of page (except for books) courtesy of Elizabeth Haslam, some rights reserved under Creative Commons licensing, see more at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizhaslam/

Books by Larry Rose, Redlands, California, all rights reserved, contact: larry@rosefoto.com

Sunset photo taken yesterday afternoon by yours truly toting my trusty iPhone camera at Lake Ralphine in Santa Rosa, where (and to which) I give thanks nearly every day of this still blessed life.Some rights reserved, see more at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewhidas/

And finally: Hey you there—Thanks for reading!

6 comments to Thanksgiving Poem

  • Dennis Ahern  says:

    Thanks for writers who write
    Endeavoring as they do
    To cut through the shite
    And make sense of this stew
    Here’s hoping they stay in the fight
    At least the guys named Andrew

    Thanks.

  • Andrew Hidas  says:

    Dennis, can’t possibly top “write” and “shite” as a rhyme scheme, so won’t even try. Suspected the meaning of the latter but had to look it up to verify, so here are the top three listings for “shite”:
    1. The shite, the principal character in a Japanese Noh play
    2. Shite, the person who performs the technique in aikido
    3. A variation of shit, especially in Ireland and the UK

    Not sure about your familiarity with Noh plays or aikido, but that third definition perhaps betrays your heritage in ye olde lands, yes? Thanks for expanding my vocabulary a notch, in any case!

  • Dennis Ahern  says:

    Ahern….DUH!

  • Dennis Ahern  says:

    also…..sit/shit ≠poetic

  • wmckeown  says:

    You’ve lots to be thankful for, Andrew, even though life may be bumpy at times.

    • Andrew Hidas  says:

      You forgot to mention the divots, Walt. There are the bumps…and then the divots…(There’s a poem in there somewhere!) :-) Thankfulness for you, too, my friend.

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