Poems for Thanksgiving

One of the overlooked aspects of Thanksgiving is that the holiday has produced some remarkable writing. The tradition of reading poems to the family has sadly disappeared from much of modern life, yet these poems, sayings, and stories still exist. LNGenZ offers this selection of poems. Enjoy!

 

Farewell and Thanksgiving

By Mark van Doren

Whatever I have left unsaid
When I am dead
O’muse forgive me.
You were always there,
like light, like air.
Those great good things
of which the least bird sings,
So why not I?
Yet thank you even then,
Sweet muse, Amen.

 

Thanksgiving Comes But Once A Year

By Thornton W. Burgess

 

Thanksgiving comes but once a year,
But when it comes it brings good cheer.
For in my storehouse on this day
Are piles of good things hid away.
Each day I’ve worked from early morn
To gather acorns, nuts, and corn,
Till now I’ve plenty and to spare
Without a worry or a care.
So light of heart the whole day long,
I’ll sing a glad Thanksgiving song.

 

We Thank Thee

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high,
Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light,
Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night,
Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.