Thanksgiving Day
Today I give thanks for the sun’s warming ray,
her goldenrod light turning night into day.
Feeling earth underfoot, whether mountain or plain,
to see sweeping of clouds, smell the sprinkle of rain.
A tree’s gentle breeze giving swell to my lung,
its fingertip nests raising songs yet unsung.
So thankful am I for my heart full of cheer,
friendships and laugh lines carved deeper each year.
With family beside me I sit down to feast,
and think of life’s glory—each snowflake, each beast.
My thanks for gorillas and whales and bees,
the bounty of life filling jungles and seas.
Today I give thanks in the sun’s warming ray,
just for being alive and the gift of this day.
But soon a full moon will hang soft overhead
then thankful I’ll be for my pillow and bed.
-Brooke Bessesen, November 2009