Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.
---W.J. Cameron
Below is a fun poem about Thanksgiving family gatherings written by English born American poet, Edgar Albert Guest. Guest came to America as a boy in the late 1800s and became Poet Laureate of Michigan, and was referred to as the people’s poet for his folksy style. I hope the poem brings you fond memories, as it has done for me.
Thanksgiving
(Edgar Albert Guest, 1881-1959)
Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin more beautiful day after day;
Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
Father's a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an men.
Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
Home from the east land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.
Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.
The Writing North Idaho bloggers are taking Thanksgiving week off. Our next blog entry will be posted Monday, November 28. In the meantime, we wish you all a warm and wonderful…
H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G !
4 comments:
Guest's poem is wonderful. He really exemplifies the "show don't tell" adage for writing. This is a great post from you, Nancy, as usual. I enjoy your posts and your own poems and essays so much in your book "Moose for Breakfast:Nature Writing in Essays and Poetry".
I would like to add my warmest Thanksgiving Wishes to Nancy's sentiments. This year I am especially thankful for the men and women who serve our country. I wish them God's grace and abundant blessings during this holiday season.
My favorite Thanksgiving recipe for Stuffed Turkey from our family cookbook: Place a large bowl of M&M's on the table and let the turkeys stuff themselves.
Happy Turkey Day!
Thank you for the warm greetings. I am off to get going on the shopping. It has been something of a personal study for me, to look at the benefit of root vegetables. For many, they are on the table but once a year. They used to keep us going all winter long. My family is nuts for my potato medley, white and sweet layered and then baked with cream and bread crumbs. Its a feast, to be sure. Happy Thanksgiving one and all.
For many years, The Collected Verse of Edgar A. Guest has had favored spot on the top shelf of my personal library. Thank you for giving his wonderful poetry life on your Thanksgiving post
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