Your own Dia Los Muertos. I love the acceptance of grief and celebration at the same table. And that you're still here to wash the dishes. You did wash the dishes, no?
Celtic tradition, similarly, cherishes the reality of “thin” times and places, situations in which the veil between this world and the other is especially permeable. In my life--and wonderful and short they are, these earthly sojourns of ours--some of the very best interactions have played out in those thin times and places.
I just listened to your reading of the poem and it felt quite different from the written words, less plaintive. I appreciate both. Thank you, and for your prefatory comments about irony and dichotomy.
I think Joy Reid would love the poem too. She got in a lot of trouble for telling the real story of thanksgiving last night on msnbc. Give me a break.👿
She ired a few conservative news sources with the standard liberal take on Thanksgiving (and if you do a search on some of her old social media, you'll find she had plenty of opinions that are troubling to liberals). The "Thanksgiving is problematic" is an old argument where liberals and conservatives use Indians as a battleground. Meanwhile, every Indian I know—and I know hundreds—is celebrating Thanksgiving today. We Native-Americans successfully live on both sides of our hyphen.
Awesome. It’s a beautiful tradition even though like many traditions its origins are complicated. And Indians - from India- like me celebrate too. Grateful for so much including this country, warts and all.
In my haste this morning, I didn't listen to the full recording! There is a kitchen noise in there. I think the Thanksgiving preparation pans-banging noise works!
Ghosts are great listeners.
Hahahaha
Your own Dia Los Muertos. I love the acceptance of grief and celebration at the same table. And that you're still here to wash the dishes. You did wash the dishes, no?
Yes, I helped set and clean the table!
You transform grief with your words. Thank you for your gift to us.
Thank you, Kate.
Celtic tradition, similarly, cherishes the reality of “thin” times and places, situations in which the veil between this world and the other is especially permeable. In my life--and wonderful and short they are, these earthly sojourns of ours--some of the very best interactions have played out in those thin times and places.
That is a beautiful concept—the thin places. I spend a lot of time there!
It’s fruitful territory, and the company’s good!
This is gorgeous.
Thank you, Rachel.
I just listened to your reading of the poem and it felt quite different from the written words, less plaintive. I appreciate both. Thank you, and for your prefatory comments about irony and dichotomy.
Thank you, Annie. I think my general good mood changed the reading. I think the poem is more plantive.
Both sides of the hyphen—Perfect and beautiful. Happy thanksgiving to you, Diane and your boys.
Thank you, Maria! And Happy T to all of you.
Loved this. A thanks to you, Sherman.
Thank you, Joan.
Beautiful!
Here’s something that occurred to me...
Somewhere I adopted this tradition
To just gather to say simply thanks
For just this chance at life
Existing on this spinning sphere
Just now just here
A chance at existence when so much is inert
Just to know I was here
And so were you
And we knew and saw and held and loved
So only when we don’t forget to see,
To feel, to understand how this
unlikeliest of unlikely likelihoods came to pass
somehow in the din and the confusion and sadness
Then this will have became enough
###
"Unlikely likelihoods..."
Yes, this is all unlikely, isn't it?
It sure is.
Indeed. Non existence is the norm all around us.
Thankful for Sherman Alexie. Hope you are having a great day with the family.
Thank you, Travis.
I think Joy Reid would love the poem too. She got in a lot of trouble for telling the real story of thanksgiving last night on msnbc. Give me a break.👿
She ired a few conservative news sources with the standard liberal take on Thanksgiving (and if you do a search on some of her old social media, you'll find she had plenty of opinions that are troubling to liberals). The "Thanksgiving is problematic" is an old argument where liberals and conservatives use Indians as a battleground. Meanwhile, every Indian I know—and I know hundreds—is celebrating Thanksgiving today. We Native-Americans successfully live on both sides of our hyphen.
Awesome. It’s a beautiful tradition even though like many traditions its origins are complicated. And Indians - from India- like me celebrate too. Grateful for so much including this country, warts and all.
As I like to joke, "The United States, no matter how awful it can be, is still in the top twenty of all countries."
Amen!
What a great poem for the occasion. Acute, sharp and wonderfully beautiful and sad.
Thank you,
Shirley
Thank you, Shirley.
Loved it. Am sure .Buffy Sainte-Marie would too.🦃😷❤️🔥
I don't know how Buffy would feel. I met her once a few decades ago.
Yes! Write more! It is the clear sharp images I find the most movibg
In my haste this morning, I didn't listen to the full recording! There is a kitchen noise in there. I think the Thanksgiving preparation pans-banging noise works!
This is bittersweet and haunting. I would like to hear more of the stories, if they can be shared, the images of grief and yearning.
I will keep writing.