Poetry Friday: Gratitude & Thanksgiving Poems from a Pro

It’s Poetry Friday! Again! Where is the time going?! I had no plans to post today as I’m working on a travel article for Medium and it’s taking longer than I thought it would.

But I saw a shout-out early this morning from Lou Piccolo who shared that two authors who followed her newsletter and submitted to my anthology, now called Picture Perfect Poetry, have been accepted! If you want all kinds of opportunities, definitely sign up for Lou’s newsletter (just fill in your email at the bottom of the linked page).

I was grateful for the mention and congratulate all who had submissions accepted to the anthology. Check the email you used to submit your work for the First Rights Poetry Release form. These will be sent later today. As with the photo rights form, they will need to be completed and sent back to me. Details are in the email. Thank you!

Gratitude

After seeing Lou’s post (I get her newsletter), I felt extremely grateful. And this made me start thinking about all the other things I’m grateful for this year.

• Travel – In 2023, I’ve been able to travel to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, Redwood National and State Parks in California, and Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, and The Netherlands on a European River Cruise. I am so fortunate and thankful that I was able to make these trips with my husband and son.
• Continued growth in my writing – This year my Medium.com page really took off. I am earning money from Medium and that validates my writing – which is usually on travel, food, or thoughts on a life experience. I’m grateful to be able to reach people with my words.
• I’m grateful for my family. My mom passed away on July 31st, unexpectedly after a brief illness. I miss her and felt that pang of loss again this week. (You never know what will bring it on). But, after she died, I was able to spend two weeks with my Dad, helping him with the transition to living alone, making arrangements for my mom’s cremation, and cleaning out many of her belongings. I was grateful I could be there for him, and that he now seems to be doing ok.
• I’m grateful for settling into our cabin. We’ve been here 17 months and it feels like home. My husband is building a garage, and it looks great. I’m grateful for his many abilities.
• Friends – I continue to be grateful for friends – near and far, who help get me through the tough periods of life like the loss of a parent.
• Our sons – and I’m grateful for my three sons. They are responsible young adults and being with them on the occasional weekend visit or for the upcoming holiday means everything to me.
• Health – I’m grateful to be healthy and be able to work towards maintaining my health. Living in a forest on a lake provides many opportunities to commune with nature and I can tell you it is good for the soul.

So as we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday this week, I am grateful for many things, including the support of this community! In other words, I am grateful for all of you! Thank you!

May your Thanksgiving be a blessed one, shared with those you love.

Now, finally, it is Poetry Friday and we share poems on this day. While I don’t have a new poem to share, I turned to my favorite children’s poet, Jack Prelutsky. I inherited my mom’s classroom books and among them are four small books of holiday poetry by this beloved children’s poet.

It’s Thanksgiving by Jack Prelutsky came out in 1982. I think one of my favorite poems in this book is called The Wishbone where the second stanza goes like this:

"Wishbone, wishbone
will I win?
Will I laugh, clap
and grin?
When the wishbone
snaps in two,
will my wishbone
wish come true?"

© Jack Prelutsky, 1982

It tickles me because the poem is about two sister's pulling on the wishbone saved from their Thanksgiving turkey, just as my sister and I used to do. In other words, I can relate to the poem.

I'm grateful for the talent of Jack Prelutsky, where his simple works make us laugh and grin or remind us of days gone by. His books remind me of my mom and her love for words, her talent as a teacher, and the things I received from her - both intangible and tangible like the books. 

Today’s roundup is hosted by the incredible author and poet Irene Latham on her blog, Live Your Poem. Be sure to stop by for some inspiration on poem collections (so apropos for me) and links to more great poetry! Thanks for hosting, Irene!