Thanksgiving

In spite of headlines and heartaches,
I will be thankful.

Facing uncertainties with my
friends and neighbors, yet I
will remain thankful.

I will look deeply into the moment,
I will focus on things that add
beauty to life, and I will be
grateful.

And yet…there will remain a
cavern in my soul, a place that
no feast can fill, where no table
is set, a place where human
suffering gnaws the flesh of
my bones.

I will sit at the Thanksgiving table today and
I will swallow the morsel of the merry, truly
grateful, but anguished and angered at the
suffering of those who look over my shoulder
and wish for a taste of kindness and a place
at our feasts of abundance.