Pre-Thanksgiving Emergency Situation Narrowly Averted [by Martha Silano]

Everyone’s gathered at the gourd-festooned table. The TV is momentarily turned to OFF, the carved turkey and gravy boat are beckoningly steaming.  That’s right: It’s time to bust out the Poem o Thanks. But OH NO! You forgot to write a poem of thanks, or even do a Google search for a poem of thanks. Hark! Heck! You’re without a poem of thanks!

Have no fear that this will be your T-day nightmare because you have Martha’s quick and easy, handy-dandy reference guide for the perfect Turkey-time poesy. Here come Thomas Lux, Ronald Wallace, John Berryman, Charles Simic, Anne Sexton, and Joy Harjo to the rescue. Now you can belt out a poem or two (see below), sit back, and enjoy some good old American-type face stuffing.  Maybe you'll even convince yourself, as the wine and cranberry sauce flow freely, that you'll write your very own thanks poem next year. Clink! Crunch! Burp! 

POEM IN THANKS - Thomas Lux

Lord Whoever, thank you for this air
I'm about to in- and exhale, this hutch
in the woods, the wood for fire,
the light–––both lamp and the natural stuff
of leaf-black fern, and wing.
For the piano, the shovel
for ashes, the moth-gnawed 
blankets, the stone-cold water
stone-cold: thank you.
Thank you, Lord, coming for
to carry me here–––where I'll gnash
it out, Lord, where I'll calm
and work, Lord, thank you
for the goddamn birds singing!

BLESSINGS - Ronald Wallace

occur.
Some days I find myself
putting my foot in
the same stream twice;
leading a horse to water
and making him drink.
I have a clue.
I can see the forest
for the trees.

All around me people
are making silk purses
out of sows' ears,
getting blood from turnips,
building Rome in a day.
There's a business
like show business.
There's something new
under the sun.

Some days misery
no longer loves company;
it puts itself out of its.
There's rest for the weary.
There's turning back.
There are guarantees.
I can be serious.
I can mean that.
You can quite
put your finger on it.

Some days I know
I am long for this world.
I can go home again.
And when I go
I can
take it with me.

John Berryman's "Address to the Lord"

Charles Simic's "Summer  Morning" 

Anne Sexton's "Welcome Morning"

Joy Harjo's "Perhaps the World Ends Here" 

Comments

[Marissa Despain]

Fantastic! I needed these. Thanks.

[Sue Russell]

My favorite Thanksgiving poem (and one of my favorite poems for any season), is John Berryman's Dream Song 385, that begins "My daughter's heavier. Light leaves are flying..."

http://april-is.tumblr.com/post/87910378/april-25-2007-dream-song-385-john-berryman

[Sue Russell]

Also, the link that says it's to John Ashbery actually leads to a poem by John Berryman.

[David Graham]

Pattiann Rogers' "Geocentric" is one of my stand-by gratitude poems. Read it here:
http://arts.envirolink.org/literary_arts/PRogers_Geocentric.html

David Graham

[DL]

Maybe we should schedule a group reading featuring John Ashbery, John Berryman, John Ash, and Wendell Berry.

[Shulamith]

But John Berryman's dead!