Gratitude

I’m thankful for my mother and thankful for my dad
I’m thankful for the good days and I’m thankful for the bad
I’m thankful for these virtues and thankful for the sins
Thankful for the easy times and for this mess we’re in

I’m thankful for when the pens prove more powerful than swords
Thankful for metaphors, magic words, and minor chords

I’m thankful for the femme fatale and the ingénue
And thankful for the protagonists always pulling through
I’m thankful for the Der Blaue Reiter and thankful for Franz Marc
I’m thankful for philosophies, sciences, and the arts

I’m thankful for the decadent, I’m thankful for the mundane
And thankful for the elegant and my lack of taste

I’m thankful for our families, future and fore
I’m thankful for their victories and the failures that opened doors
I’m thankful for our island and thankful for our home
I’m thankful for trails we’ve trodden and the path we’re on

I’m thankful for nufranzian and fricaricious frup
And thankful for languages and the words we can make up

I’m thankful for instincts, reason, and wants and needs
I’m thankful for bountiful food and these mouths to feed
I’m thankful for this day and the ones that came before
I’m thankful for the potential possibility for more

I’m thankful for disagreements and chances to grow
And thankful for open minds, may they never close

I’m thankful for paperbacks, libraries, and folks I know
I’m thankful for these old sad songs haunting the radio
I’m thankful for friends, acquaintances, and foes
I’m thankful for strangers who are pals I don’t yet know

For everything we named and where we drew blanks
We embrace graciously and smile and offer our thanks