Thursday, November 28, 2019

day ONE THOUSAND and FORTY THREE


Ode to the Pardoned Turkey

O turkey who takes
away the sins of grave
consequences,
catch a farmer’s eye
when he picks you
for a trip to the capital.
Travel by cozy truck.
Stay pampered in rooms
with towels and maids.
Arrive safe and sound
at the gleaming White House.
Enjoy your fame as
the fatted one, a bird
who weighs forty pounds.
Your day has come.
Stand on a table, unleashed,
before flashbulbs
and applause. Events
at the Rose Garden are
peaceful now while an
ax falls somewhere else.
Our leader has kept you
from a violent end.
In his memoirs, he’ll
record his good deeds
and leave out the rest.

--Sarah Henry


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