Poems about Thanksgiving capture the essence of gratitude. They celebrate the spirit of abundance, family, and togetherness. These poems serve as heartfelt expressions of appreciation, weaving themes of thankfulness, warmth, and love.
Thanksgiving poems not only express gratitude for the harvest and the bounties of nature but also reflect on the deeper, intangible blessings in our lives, such as friendships, kindness, and the simple pleasures of everyday moments. They remind us of the importance of acknowledging and appreciating the blessings, both big and small, that enrich our lives.
The gratitude expressed in poems about Thanksgiving transcend the holiday, and remind us to be grateful all year round. In these poems, the beauty of the Thanksgiving season is captured in words, fostering a sense of unity and reminding us of the power of gratitude.
Poems about Thanksgiving examples:
Thanksgiving by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
There’s not a day in all the year
But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
To brim the past’s wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
While living hearts can hear us.
Full many a blessing wears the guise
Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
To gladden every morrow.
We ought to make the moments notes
Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
A grand Thanksgiving chorus.
Wilcox uses the spirit of Thanksgiving to juxtapose gratitude at other times of the year. This grateful poem captures the essence of Thanksgiving, emphasizing togetherness and the blessings found in sharing time with loved ones. The whole poem can be read here.
Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest
Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.
Home from the east land an’ home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,
Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.
Give me the end of the year an’ its fun
When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.
Edgar Albert Guest pens his reminiscences on Thanksgiving in such a familiar and grateful way. The poem in its entirety is a celebration of human connection. Thanksgiving, for Guest, is the moment when all influences of the outside world fade away and people can gather as equals. Read the whole poem here.
We Thank Thee by Ralph Waldo Emerson
For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky,
Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high,
Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light,
Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night,
Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
Often referred to as a Thanksgiving prayer, Emerson’s poem truly embodies the spirit of Thanksgiving. It’s in the name afterall! Offering thanks for all the beautiful and special things in our lives is what the holiday is all about.
A Thanksgiving Poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar
The sun hath shed its kindly light,
Our harvesting is gladly o’er
Our fields have felt no killing blight,
Our bins are filled with goodly store.
From pestilence, fire, flood, and sword
We have been spared by thy decree,
And now with humble hearts, O Lord,
We come to pay our thanks to thee.
Dunbar’s poem captures the essence of gratitude and humility. It expresses thankfulness for life’s challenges and setbacks, acknowledging that even in difficult times, there are valuable lessons to be learned. The poem reminds readers to be thankful for both the highs and lows of life’s journey. Read it in its entirety here.
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