Poems of Thanksgiving


By Paulette Beete and Sophia Salganicoff
ribbon-like arrangement of fall leaves on a table with a votive candle and Give Thanks handwritten in script
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving holiday, we offer you a moment (well, six moments, actually) of reflection on gratitude. Click on the poem's title to read the full text.
graphic treatment of quote from Anne Porter
"Give praise with the immense and peaceful sigh/ Of the wind in the pinewoods,/ At night give praise for the starry silences." — from "A List of Praises" by Anne Porter
graphic treatment of quote from W.S. Merwin
"we are saying thank you faster and faster/ with nobody listening we are saying thank you/ we are saying thank you and waving/ dark though it is." — from "Thanks" by W.S. Merwin
graphic treatment of text from George Parsons Lathrop
"Fetch a log, then; coax the ember;/ Fill your hearts with old-time cheer;/ Heaven be thanked for one more year." — from "Thanksgiving Turkey" by George Parsons Lathrop
graphic treatment of text by Joy Harjo
"At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks." — from "Perhaps the World Ends Here" by Joy Harjo
graphic treatment of text from Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"We sigh for some supreme delight/ To crown our lives with splendor, / And quite ignore our daily store/ Of pleasures sweet and tender." — from "Thanksgiving" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
graphic treatment of text by May Yang
"Although the world is silent around you/ I know you/ I see you/ I hear you" from "To All My Friends" by HAUNTIE (May Yang)