Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving - Fog in the Forest

                                                              oil on canvas 40x30
 "This is the day we are given, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Indeed, Happy Thanksgiving!
I first posted the following poem at Thanksgiving 2009. My Dad had recently died and these words meant a lot to me;
                                                                   
Thanks Given

We were nine.
We were eight.
We are seven.

We were together.
We are apart.

We were mother and father,
five daughters,
two sons:

Together. One.

Apart

In Virginia and Florida,
New York and Tennessee,
in Georgia

We were a family.

We are a family
come together
with spirit,
with ghost

Eyes looking down,
looking up,
looking out

To a hillside in Arlington,
to a headstone in Venice:

Two to make
seven into nine.

Lips pressing thank yous
on shadows of air
breathed in breathed out
paused

To save
for blessings
round tables

Together,
apart,

As one.

Copyright © 2009 Maureen E. Doallas [my pal]. All Rights Reserved.

4 comments:

SamArtDog said...

Lovely poem, Randall.
Happy Thanks Given.

Maureen said...

Thank you for that touching bracketed "[my pal]"! Happy Thanksgiving.

(And stay warm. I saw the temps up your way are not so high today. We're having one of the coldest T-Days on record.)

Ruth Armitage said...

Happy Thanksgiving Randall! Thank you for sharing that beautiful poem by Maureen! What a wonderful way to say how many of us feel with missing family members. They are at the table with us in spirit...

Unknown said...

No words... it´s just so beautiful!!! I love your colors!!!