thanksgiving

it's like a long
string

that connects them all
at any point

I can go to any place
any time

again

games of Trivial Pursuit
and Pictionary
near the ocean

B. accusing Dad
of cheating

N. hiding in
the living room

because she's scared
of our family

smart girl

adopted family
other people

who had stories

of why they were here
and not there
with Them

the year the turkey
didn't thaw
and we ate all the sides

with turkey as a
late-night snack

all those years
the menu rarely varied

as if it were
recipes

that kept us connected
through time

and every year
I remember

all of it

family tensions
misfits at our table

group games
that offered us reprieve
from whispered analyses

of why

it all comes back
with the smell of
turkey cooking

the way Mom always
cooked it

and I
give thanks.


pmr 11/27/09