Thanksgiving is a Feast of Misgiving

 

Fallen leaves smell festive like thanksgiving
Vibrant colors set the table for the coming feast
But for too many, this is only a holiday of misgiving

Little people who’ve been fractured by life’s woes and are grieving
Starving for understanding it’s like their heart has been fleeced
Yet falling leaves still give them festive reminders of thanksgiving

Reddish gold’s and browns are colors of pleasant endings
They heap up like stars on the ground in the East
But for too many, this is a sign of a holiday misgiving

The greedy few have raised for the many the cost of living
Unleashing inside the little people a brutal beast
But when leaves fall people can see the approach of thanksgiving

These days are maddening when people are broke and no one’s forgiving
And it is hard to be giving when love in our world appears to have ceased
These realities for many Americans are reminders of a holiday misgiving

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to forgive, give thanks, and start living
And let our open wounds heal and become like the ideal holy priest
Breathe deeply, because fallen leaves still smell festive like thanksgiving
But cry a tear for those who are isolated in a holiday of misgiving

---William James, a 11/19/2011 Freewrite