Thanksgiving

This poem is in the ghazal form, which is very repetitive and has an interesting rhyme scheme.

November’s holiday marks the time to care - Thank you, Mom.

Around the laden table our family shares: Thank you, Mom!

 

From very small to almost grown, you kept me

safe and happy through the years - Thank you, Mom.

 

You shared words with me from infancy

when I first became aware - Thank you, Mom.

 

You let your two little girls frolic in sand or rain

in nothing but our underwear - Thank you, Mom!

 

You let us mix grass clippings and water

to make a concoction that smelled quite queer - Thank you, Mom!

 

You laughed when I, your chowhound,

ate all but the stem of a pear - Thank you, Mom!

 

You gifted us with skirts and shirts for dress-up

- no high heels while on the stairs - Thank you, Mom.

 

A little wooden stove served so that we could play

kitchen by you with our wooden plates and jars - Thank you, Mom.

 

With floss and fabric, crafty cross-stitch and mundane mending,

you taught me how to patch up tears - Thank you, Mom.

 

You used your fantastic fabric skills to create for you and me

the best costumes at the Renaissance Faire - Thank you, Mom!

 

Grown long, cut short - you washed and combed and brushed

and braided, curled and loved my hair - Thank you, Mom.

 

I capered as the comic with big hair for you, my biggest fan.

You celebrated my success with cheers - Thank you, Mom!

 

No matter my crazy volume or antics,

you greet me with a loving, exasperated stare - Thank you, Mom!

 

Your patience every day astounded me

as you taught me how to drive the car - Thank you, Mom!

 

After my bike crash you drove me to the hospital

where they fixed me up with just a small scar - Thank you, Mom!

 

You told us stories of our father’s drunk fraternity friends

sticking their fingers in the tank to get bitten by the gar - Thank you, Mom!

 

You talked with me about the world

so I could be prepared - Thank you, Mom.

 

I know we might sometimes have fights,

but for working through the tears - Thank you, Mom.