Thanksgiving Tradition

For the blessings we receive

That we could not conceive

We thank a higher power

We imagine sitting on a tower

Somewhere above the earth

To some place that gave birth

To the rocks, animals, trees and humanity

Some call Gitchie Manitou

An age-old custom of appeasing the Gods

For helping man beat the odds

Of drought, locusts flood or monsoon

And enjoy perfect weather for a harvest boon

Enough to feed family, tribes and villages

Fair and square without any pillages

For giving thanks sharing corn, wheat, provision or rice

Cooked up in ways the tongues of family and friends to entice

At powwows, feasts and community festivals

The tradition of giving and taking in modernity

Follows the same practice of honoring the gods of fertility

Even when the gods are removed from the equations

And replaced by scientific calculations

The symbols of thanksgiving remain in Yam Festival of the Igbo

Powwow of the Aboriginal, A Dang Wang of Taiwan or Turkey and potato

That reminds us humans of our commonality

Of the thread that runs through our humanity.

This thanksgiving

I will vacate my self-imposed famine

Enjoy the traditional baked potato and roast turkey

Jellied cabbage, borscht and home made perogy

I will eat drink and celebrate with friends and family