Senses of Thanksgiving: A Reflection on the Holiday

Senses of Thanksgiving

Beneath the warm colors of leaves

and the way they reach the ground,

beyond reds and greens and blues on store shelves

before October, shouting, Shop Now, Pay Later,

Listen to how leaves turn and fall

whispering of winter’s journey on its way.

Smell the scents of autumn: clove, cinnamon,

pumpkin and sage, redolent reminders of the fall of time.

Feel the wanderings of the wind approaching,

making its mark on faces, hearts and hands,

on those at hearth and home,

on  those homeless or displaced.

Swallow the words, bitter and sweet,

of seasons gone by.

Look and see what connects us all

throughout the year, through rain and sunshine.

Survey the landscape of family, friends, and strangers,

and the gift beyond all others, that of the time with others.

                                                                  Mary Crescenzo