My Cart 
Login 

Previous

Thanksgiving, a Feast
by
Norma Ketzis Bernstock


Next
 

I think turkey, stuffing and cranberries,
probably sweet potatoes and a green veggie
would be enough, but Lee insists on corn pudding,
Max only eats white potatoes, Sue says Waldorf
salad is tradition and Randi's roasted vegetables
were a hit last year.  And while the turkey roasts
we'll all be hungry so I buy bagels for lunch,
smoked salmon, humus and guacamole,
tortilla chips with salsa, Havarti cheese and crackers,
dried apricots, figs and clementines on sale.

Sam just wants dessert and Bill assures him
there'll be pumpkin and apple pies,
Jen's brownies, Christina's chocolate chip cookies,
butter pecan ice cream and a box of truffles.
And because it's also Sue and Sam's birthdays,
Jimmy brought Krispy Kreme's all the way from New Paltz.  

But twenty pounds of  turkey overwhelms the pan,
I forget the giblets in the neck which reminds me
of the book I used to read to my first graders,
the one about the Tappletons, how the frozen turkey
bounced out the back door, rolled into the pond,
how the salad got fed to a pet, potatoes dripped off walls
from an unwatched blender, pies sold out at the bakery.

But our family at long last feasts, the chutney with grapes
gets rave reviews and even though I forget the coffee and tea
(though no one complains), we feel satisfied and full
And, like the Tappletons, we all agree this Thanksgiving
was special and it had very little to do with the food!


This poem first appeared in the Milford Journal (2021).
Used here with permission.

 



Norma Ketzis Bernstock, raised in a suburb of New York City, now enjoys life as an artist and poet in the beauty of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retired after 34 years in education, mostly as a school media specialist, her writing desk overlooks dense foliage and one of her greatest joys is observing the wildlife sauntering past her window when they don’t know they’re being watched. Norma is the author of one chapbook from Big Table Publishing, Don’t Write a Poem About Me After I’m Dead, and is hard at work on two other manuscripts.

For Leah at 70 by Norma Ketzis Bernstock - Your Daily Poem

 

 


 


Post New Comment:
peggy.turnbull:
How imperfection makes things practically perfect. What a nice family!
Posted 11/23/2023 08:51 PM
Lori Levy:
Like the humor. Great ending.
Posted 11/23/2023 01:08 PM
Larry Schug:
I'll be right over!
Posted 11/23/2023 12:08 PM
Nabby Dog:
This delicious poem is a feast!
Posted 11/23/2023 07:48 AM


Contents of this web site and all original text and images therein are copyright © by Your Daily Poem. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchasing books through any poet's Amazon links helps to support Your Daily Poem.
The material on this site may not be copied, reproduced, downloaded, distributed, transmitted, stored, altered, adapted,
or otherwise used in any way without the express written permission of the owner.