Thanksgiving
by Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959)
Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin' more beautiful day after day;
Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
Father's a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an' men.
Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
Home from the east land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.
Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.
by Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959)
Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin' more beautiful day after day;
Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
Father's a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an' men.
Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
Home from the east land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.
Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.
I am lovin this poem Nan. I wrote a Thanksgiving poem one year not too long ago. I sort of felt these same sentiments. Happy Day.
ReplyDeleteLisa, these are the sorts of poems our grandparents knew by heart. Some may call them hokey, but I do love them. I love the sentiments and the way they flow. This one is great spoken aloud, as I guess most poetry is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, Nan.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and your family. :)
My Grandmother's favorite poet... I am now the keeper of her lovely copy of his book of poetry.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. :)
Hi, Nan, just a quick post to say how much I love the photo of your dear doggie sitting in the snow. Hope he -- and you and your family -- all have a happy, cosy Thanksgiving. And congratulations on your blogging anniversary too.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Carol
You're welcome, and same to you, Yvette.
ReplyDeleteMelody, I bet there was a time when his work was in every home, don't you? I'm so pleased you have her book. That's just great.
Carol, Sadie says, thank you!
I love this poem. I could care less what other people think, it describes Thanksgiving perfectly to me. Thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kay.
ReplyDeleteI have a lovely little book of Edgar Guest's poems that was my grandfather's. I too love these poems and my favorite is "Home."..."It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home,..."
ReplyDeleteNow there's the kind of poem I can enjoy. Sadie looks so comfortable in the snow, wish I could say the same. We're having a sunny, cool Thanksgiving Day with no snow on the ground. Happy Thanksgiving once more to you and your family - and Sadie too.
ReplyDelete"we've come for a time to be just what we are" - oh, that's lovely. Thanks, Nan, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your lovely family!
ReplyDeleteLovely poem, Nan. I've never read it before and it's just the kind of poem I enjoy (and can understand!).
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a lovely day with your family. It was almost 72 with lots of sunshine here in Lincoln. I'm very thankful. :)
Jill, would you say that is his most famous? I think so. Aren't you lucky to have that book. A treasure.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Barbara. Thank you and same to you.
Susan, those words really struck me, too. No pretending to be someone you're not. Thank you and the same to you.
Les, I try to post only understandable poems. Really, I think they are the best. What's the point if the reader can't get them?
Such a nice poem! Hope your day was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Wendy. And it was!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother loved Edgar Guest and recited his poems to us whenever there was an opportunity! (Such as Thanksgiving!)/ Hope yours was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHappy blog-i-versary (in the post below) as well!@
Such a wonderful memory, Sallie. I can't imagine that happening now. Lucky you.
ReplyDelete