collection
Thanksgiving Poems
Whether you’re looking for a pre-meal toast, a way to give thanks, a scrap of American history, or a late-night conversation starter, these poems should provide ample stuffing.
Thanksgiving is a unique holiday in the United States—a time to celebrate and acknowledge the help of family and friends, and a reminder of what a gift it is to be alive. It’s a day to overindulge in the here and now, even as we reflect on the past. In other words, it’s a great holiday for poetry. These poems show that the occasion has provided poets—from Harriet Maxwell Converse in the 19th century to Elizabeth Alexander in the 21st—with plenty of food for thought. Whether you’re looking for a pre-meal toast, a way to give thanks, a scrap of American history, or a late-night conversation starter, these poems should provide ample stuffing.
TOASTS AND PRAYERS
-
James Weldon Johnson
-
Harriet Maxwell Converse
-
Elizabeth Alexander
-
Edgar Albert Guest
-
Robert Herrick
FAMILY, FOOD, AND FELLOWSHIP
-
Elizabeth Alexander
-
Maxine Kumin
-
Joy Harjo
-
Albert Goldbarth
-
Bruce Guernsey
-
Eamon Grennan
-
Richard Newman
-
Lydia Maria Child
-
Sharon Olds
-
Marjorie Saiser
GRATITUDE
-
W. S. Merwin
-
N. Scott Momaday
-
Susan Ludvigson
-
Ross Gay
-
Suji Kwock Kim
THE SEASON
-
John Keats
-
Maggie Dietz
-
Edward Thomas
-
Rita Dove
-
Lisel Mueller
-
Paul Laurence Dunbar
-
Annie Finch
-
C. K. Williams
-
John Greenleaf Whittier
-
James Whitcomb Riley
-
John Greenleaf Whittier
AUDIO AND PODCASTS
-
From Poetry Off the Shelf
-
From Poetry Off the Shelf