A Lesson in 'Thanksgiving'

I absolutely refuse to celebrate halloween (or even capitalize the word), but I most definitely celebrate Thanksgiving. And it's Thanksgiving (November 28th this year)  that's been on my mind a lot lately. Hence my new Thanksgiving poem. I'll share it with all of you and help you get into the mood with me.

A LESSON IN THANKSGIVING

Pilgrims reached the blessed shore,
But bitter winters were in store.
Death and anguish played their part.
Still, 'twas with a thankful heart
That they gathered to expound
Upon the God whose gifts abound.

We, who in their footsteps trod,
Though they lie beneath the sod,
Now do take the lesson learned
From their lives, and, in our turn,
We prepare to thank and praise;
To that same God our anthems raise.

And just as they faced troubled days,
Through hardships grievous made their ways,
So, now, such grievous times we face,
That ne'er before have taken place.
Yet from their lesson we take heart
And lift our songs with grateful hearts.

We will not bow to troubled thoughts,
Nor in the throes of fear be caught,
We have too rich a heritage.
So with forefathers we engage
To praise and sing and laugh and play
And celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

~~~

As The World Turned

I originally created this poem for a writing challenge from a blog on WordPress. The challenge is past, so I won't include the link here.

AS THE WORLD TURNED

As the world turned and turned and turned,
So his heart yearned, and churned, and burned.
Day unto day and night unto night
He pondered on ways to satisfy spite.

If he could not have her – his love, his life,
He'd see to it no one else made her his wife.
He thought out his strategy, planned every move,
And finally knew how to deal with his love.

So swiftly he made his way into her room
And there, as she slept, introduced her to doom.
Then, satisfied that a lesson she'd learned,
He joined her in silent death as the world turned.
~~~