November 26, 2020
This is now my traditional Thanksgiving Day post!
A couple of years ago, I looked all over for a Thanksgiving poem and couldn’t find one…. so I wrote one. Feel free to edit as suits your needs and use it at your own table tonight.
‘Twas the Night before Thanksgiving
By Jackie Balestra
‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving
No sleep to be found
Ten guests we’ll be hosting
One o’clock they’ll come ‘round
Two weeks making plans
Writing list after list
Digging out trays, pots and pans
You get the gist
Away, away to all the stores
Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, to Vons we go
Park the car, through the doors
Not a free cart in sight, RUH RO!
Two days of cooking, the kitchen’s a mess
With gadgets used only once a year
There’s joy in the chaos, I must confess
Heirloom platters, gravy boat, china so dear
Come the morn, all burners aflame, oven racks full
Sink overflowing with plates, cups and bowls
Into a bun my hair I’ll pull
Plated together the ultimate goal
Old recipe cards tied up in bows
Savory sweet potato/carrot puree
Tenderly cooked long and low
The time is nigh, prepare the buffet!
Favorite dishes lined up in a row
Mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole
Ruby red cranberry relish aglow
Don’t forget the crescent rolls!
At last the bird
Deep fried, golden, moist
Cuts arranged in thirds
White, dark, drumstick, diner’s choice
Twill be a feast for those we hold close
To each a heaping plateful
A time for prayer, a time for toasts
A time to be forever grateful
