In just two more days, one of my family’s favorite holidays will finally be here. Thanksgiving is probably the second-most American holiday right after the Fourth of July. Recently, a couple of journals have published my piece “Family Gathering”: The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature ran it first, with Deep South Magazine following suit just the other day. For my readers’ enjoyment, I am posting a copy of the piece here, since it has found a home twice now. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and God bless you and yours on this fabulous, historic holiday! 

Family Gathering

Dedicated to all my country cousins

In those Thanksgiving woods we were grateful
by nature, we were farm kids – mud-made
battle plans detailed our attack:

Mounting our gallant oak-limb steed,
we hurled barrages of pine-cone grenades
followed by Sabal Palm frond spears,
then went hand-to-hand with sword sticks
in the friendly fire of safe conflict.

Wounded, the unnamed invisible invaders
cowardly crossed the creek, high-tailed
into town, where all of our dangers went
to regroup and plot their revenge against
us, the adults of tomorrow.