so what are you thankful for this year?

i make

the unfortunate mistake of accepting

a Thanksgiving

invite

for dinner

in the neighborhood.

dinner is nice, despite

the turkey being made of Tofu

and the kale

organic, very

hard to chew.

everyone

is pleasant

and well dressed, the men

in crocheted vests

and the women in

peasant dresses.

all

leaning left with

their blue hair and nose rings,

their bumper

stickers,

saying coexist.

they are a

courteous and polite bunch

of souls,

your hug

the tree types, many still wearing

their covid

masks from five years

ago,

and then

a woman,

someone's wife/husband suggests that

we go around the room

and tell everyone

what we're grateful for.

so around we go.

someone says for their work

down at the shelter,

friendships

are mentioned,

homeless men and women

on the corners

that they know.

pets and vacations to Moscow

and Mexico,

compost piles and plastic

and tin

bins for Wednesday pick up

are brought up.

someone is pleased with

their new hybrid car

that gets sixty-seven miles per gallon.

another is thankful

for funds being infused into

their cause by

billionaire George Soros.

three women stand up together

and shake their bottles

of Prozac,

and Xanax,

to which they are very grateful

for.

then it's my turn.

i gulp, then burst out,

as i grab my coat, that i'm

thankful

that we have three more years

to go with

the current President. the best one we've

ever had

since Abe Lincoln.

i grab a pumpkin pie

from the table as i run out

dodging

slurs and buttermilk biscuits.