Poem
Thanksgiving, a Feast I think turkey, stuffing and cranberries, probably sweet potatoes and a green veggie would be enough, but Lee insists on corn pudding, Max only eats white potatoes, Sue says Waldorf salad is tradition and Randi’s roasted vegetables were a hit last year. And while the turkey roasts we’ll all be hungry so I buy bagels for lunch, smoked salmon, humus and guacamole, tortilla chips with salsa, Havarti cheese and crackers, dried apricots, figs and clementines on sale. Sam just wants dessert and Bill assures him there’ll be pumpkin and apple pies, Jen’s brownies, Christina’s chocolate chip cookies, butter pecan ice cream and a box of truffles. And because it’s also Sue and Sam’s birthdays, Jimmy brought Krispy Kremes all the way from New Paltz. But twenty pounds of turkey overwhelms the pan, I forget the giblets in the neck which reminds me of the book I used to read to my first graders, the one about the Tappletons, how the frozen turkey bounced out the back door, rolled into the pond, how the salad got fed to a pet, potatoes dripped off walls from an unwatched blender, pies sold out at the bakery. But our family at long last feasts, the chutney with grapes gets rave reviews and even though I forget the coffee and tea (though no one complains), we feel satisfied and full, and like the Tappletons, we all agree, this Thanksgiving was special and it had very little to do with the food! -Norma Ketzis Bernstock
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