thanksgiving day
Fire Dreams
(Carl Sandburg)
(Written to be read aloud, if so be, Thanksgiving Day)
I REMEMBER here by the fire,
In the flickering reds and saffrons,
They came in a ramshackle tub,
Pilgrims in tall hats,
Pilgrims of iron jaws,
Drifting by weeks on beaten seas,
And the random chapters say
They were glad and sang to God.
And so
Since the iron-jawed men sat down
And said, "Thanks, O God,"
For life and soup and a little less
Than a hobo handout to-day,
Since gray winds blew gray patterns of sleet on Plymouth Rock,
Since the iron-jawed men sang "Thanks, O God,"
You and I, O Child of the West,
Remember more than ever
November and the hunter’s moon,
November and the yellow-spotted hills.
And so
In the name of the iron-jawed men
I will stand up and say yes till the finish is come and gone.
God of all broken hearts, empty hands, sleeping soldiers,
God of all star-flung beaches of night sky,
I and my love-child stand up together to-day and sing: "Thanks, O God."
* * * * * * *
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. On this Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for all the many blessings in my life, and especially for all of you.
Good night, everyone.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This entry was originally posted at http://silveraspen.dreamwidth.org/285494.html and mirrored to LJ. Please comment where you wish! (There are
comments currently posted at Dreamwidth.)
(Carl Sandburg)
(Written to be read aloud, if so be, Thanksgiving Day)
I REMEMBER here by the fire,
In the flickering reds and saffrons,
They came in a ramshackle tub,
Pilgrims in tall hats,
Pilgrims of iron jaws,
Drifting by weeks on beaten seas,
And the random chapters say
They were glad and sang to God.
And so
Since the iron-jawed men sat down
And said, "Thanks, O God,"
For life and soup and a little less
Than a hobo handout to-day,
Since gray winds blew gray patterns of sleet on Plymouth Rock,
Since the iron-jawed men sang "Thanks, O God,"
You and I, O Child of the West,
Remember more than ever
November and the hunter’s moon,
November and the yellow-spotted hills.
And so
In the name of the iron-jawed men
I will stand up and say yes till the finish is come and gone.
God of all broken hearts, empty hands, sleeping soldiers,
God of all star-flung beaches of night sky,
I and my love-child stand up together to-day and sing: "Thanks, O God."
* * * * * * *
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. On this Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for all the many blessings in my life, and especially for all of you.
Good night, everyone.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This entry was originally posted at http://silveraspen.dreamwidth.org/285494.html and mirrored to LJ. Please comment where you wish! (There are
comments currently posted at Dreamwidth.)