The First Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turkey day has come and gone
and the next to come along
is Christmas, more spiritual and yet
commercialized in every sense
more so than Thanksgiving can be
as we spend time with our families
or with friends or maybe both
celebrating this  custom old
of sharing a meal and breaking bread
although it has to be said
that turkey is the main menu instead.

Thanksgiving, as we all know
is as American as apple pie
no other countries can make the claim
that Pilgrims landed in Maine
way back in the year one six two oh
Tradition has it they gave thanks
along with the local inhabitants
in gratitude of reaching land
in safety just as they had planned.

The Indians were not to know
that this meal was all for show
as history proves in years to come
that their way of life would really change
and nothing left would be the same
but the Pilgrims had not this thought
when they broke bread on this day
as they tried hard in their own way
to befriend these native red skinned men
who they believed they needed to save
so they would try to convert these braves
into the Pilgrim way.

At least Thanksgiving is still mostly a meal
and a gathering of family and friends
of football and a celebration of sorts
and conversation and laughter as stories unfold
and friendships renewed separated by time
and space in this  wonderful country of ours.