Monologue Haiku

Thanksgiving dinner

mom's back-and-forth monologue

on our migrant life

Haiku Avenue, 9, 2025

Dare to Be Happy

leaves turn through

yellow, orange, red, purple ...

back home again !

thanksgiving prayer

with each word I get closer

to my inner child

a No Politics sign

on the dining room wall ...

turkey and ham dinner

thanksgiving leftovers

this relief when things remain

half-spoken

NeverEnding Story, November 27 2025

FYI: The last haiku was first published in The Solitary Daisy, 61, 2025

And Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, Nov. 24 2025: The Best Part of Thanksgiving, Bones and All

Thanksgiving, as it tends to be celebrated, is the most honest American holiday: all appetite, no apology... Thanksgiving just asks us to be hungry together, and then to eat. In any year, this would be a potently simple path to commonality; it might be the last truly unifying experience available to us as Americans. This year, sitting down for a feast in a time and a place and a nation that seems to be actively working to become more brutal, more indifferent, more willing to make people suffer for the sin of being poor or sick or born in the wrong skin or to the wrong parents or on the wrong side of an arbitrary line, the absurdity of it all is amplified. We feed others, we feed ourselves, and what else is there? At the table, at least, we can control something: the menu, the rituals, whatever small ferocious beliefs we hold about the holiday itself.

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXIV

written in response to the Convicted Felon's "Gilded Age" proclaim/obsession

                 the first

           Black Friday

        closing store sale

    shiny Christmas trees

made of Louis Vuitton bags

Added:

doors burst open

in the early morning

kids wail in strollers

with their jackets zipped tight

as Black Friday sale signs flap

Added:

one power blink

another and another

this Cyber Monday

I gaze up from the screen

to ten thousand stars

FYI: "Power blinks are brief service interruptions, but they’re typically caused by a fault (short circuit) on a power line or a protective device that’s working in reaction to the fault. Faults can occur through a variety of instances, like squirrels, birds or other small animals contacting an energized power line; tree branches touching a power line; or lightning and other similar events. In fact, when it comes to power disruptions caused by critters, squirrels 🐿️ 🐿️ 🐿️reign supreme."

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXV

tower after tower

of Trump 2028 hats

store closing sale 

Thanksgiving Trip Home Haiku

Thanksgiving trip home

patches of twilight fog

on the horizon

NeverEnding Story, October 13 2025

FYI: The primary differences are the date, with Canadian Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, because the earlier fall harvest and colder climate require celebrating the bounty of the land before winter sets in,  and American Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, and the length of the holiday weekend (three days in Canada versus four-plus days in the U.S.). 

And the following haiku could be read as a sequel to the above

Thanksgiving drive

after the bustle

quiet fields, deep shadows

NeverEnding Story, October 14, 2024

Harriet S. Bates

And the following haiku could be read as a sequel to the above

a "No Politics" sign

on the dining room wall ...

Thanksgiving dinner

Sense & Sensibility, November 2025 

Chen-ou Liu

And the following haiku could be read as a sequel to the above:

Thanksgiving dinner

between mouthfuls and refills

this hushed silence

NeverEnding Story, October 14, 2024

Chen-ou Liu

Foggy Thanksgiving Tanka

Between Heaven and Hell, X

Thanksgiving dawns

chilly with patches of fog

red states, blue states

and those in between

alone together, then alone ...

NeverEnding Story, November 28 2024

Added: Between Heaven and Hell, XI

Ritual of This Post-Election Thanksgiving

roast turkey

pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes ...

half eaten, half spoken

Trump news on mute

the faint smell of leftovers

... and things unsaid

fireplace embers ...

clink-clink-clinking of glasses

fills our silence

TV's dim light

our back-and-forth monologue

on Black Friday deals

false dawn 

in my sleep I hear thank God

this is us

FYI: Miami Herald, Opinion, Nov. 23: This post-election Thanksgiving, we all have the power to soften our hardened hearts 

As we gather for Thanksgiving, the Biden-Trump handshake provides food for thought. During the holidays, we hope that gratitude, forgiveness, hospitality and love can work wonders. We don’t have to hate each other. We are not bound to return tit-for-tat. Human beings are free and creative. We can choose to forgive, to forget and to turn a new leaf...

There is an important difference between ritualized civility and a deeper spirit of sincere gratitude and generosity. One could, after all, give thanks mechanically or as a matter of courtesy without actually feeling grateful. The deeper spirit of gracious generosity is not a ritualized performance. Rather, it is a way of being.

But the rituals of civil society are important. Symbolic gestures like handshakes are powerful, and virtues are developed through practice.

A student of Confucius once asked the master how to learn to be good. Confucius replied, “Overcome yourself and return to ritual.” We learn to be good by setting aside our egos and playing along with the customs of civilized life, even when we don’t want to.

Added: Between Heaven and Hell, XII

Trump news blackout

the calm between us holds

a world unspoken

Added: 

Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches

quiet between my half-awake wife 

and half-asleep me 

Added:

autumn wind in trees

should have, could have and might have

swirling in my mind

Thanksgiving Dinner Haiku

Thanksgiving dinner

between mouthfuls and refills

this hushed silence

NeverEnding Story, October 14 2024

For more of Thanksgiving poems, see Special Feature: Selected Poems for Reflections on Canadian No/Thanks(Giving) during Hard times [for Whatever Reason]

Thanksgiving Emails

reading between the lives and writing between the lines, LXXX

Subject: thanksgiving alone

To: my self [stuck in life] 

From: me

Date: November 23

at daybreak flickering birdsong

Re.: thanksgiving alone

To: my drunken self

From: me

Date: November 24

alive in this broken world

NeverEnding Story, November 24 2023

FYI: This is the first set of English language tanka written in the form of an email. And L5's of two tanka allude to the thematic focus of the following poem:

“Invitation” by Mary Oliver

Oh do you have time

to linger

for just a little while

out of your busy

and very important day

for the goldfinches

that have gathered

in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,

to see who can sing

the highest note,

or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,

or the most tender?

Their strong, blunt beaks

drink the air

as they strive

melodiously

not for your sake

and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning

but for sheer delight and gratitude –

believe us, they say,

it is a serious thing

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in the broken world.

I beg of you,

do not walk by

without pausing

to attend to this

rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.

It could mean everything.

It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:

You must change your life.

Added: This Brave New World, CXI

Now, This Promised Land

written on the 50th day of the Israel-Hamas War

the blood drips

from his big dirty hands

Netanyahu lookalike 

Hostages Square

a girl's candle flickers

in the cold air

FYI: Demonstration at what has become known as "Hostages Square," in Tel Aviv, near the Ministry of Defence, marked 50 days since Hamas attack on Israel...Hamas delayed the release of the second group of captives, accusing Israel of violating the truce, which started on Friday and is expected to last for four days... excerpted from Al Jazeera, Nov. 25: Tens of thousands rally in Tel Aviv amid delay in release of [second group] of captives.

And the following tanka could be read as its sequel:

This Brave New World, CX

Kidnapped

pasted over Occupier

pasted over Kidnapped

above the photo of a man ...

this battle for perfect victims

NeverEnding Story, November 18 2023

Added: This Brave New World, CXII

this hazy night

before the ceasefire ends

shortness of breath

Added: This Brave New World, CXIII

between his teeth

a piece of hummus-stuffed bread ...

maimed orphan's last meal

FYI: Haaretz (founded in 1918, the longest running and most progressive newspaper with with an "exposure rate of 4.7%" in Israel), Nov. 28: Gaza's Unfolding Disaster: When Humanitarian Aid Is Your Last Meal... Orphans are multiplying in the streets, the bombing survivors are traumatized and once the truce ends, everybody knows death may fall again from the sky at any moment.

...a representative of Save the Children stated, “Every ten minutes, a child in Gaza is killed by a bomb and every five minutes, a child is wounded, in an asymmetric warfare situation that testifies to the failure of international law, whose aim is to protect civilian lives.”

And Reuters, Nov. 28: WHO warns disease could be bigger killer than bombs in Gaza

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris on Tuesday said the agency is already seeing a dangerous surge in diarrhea in Palestinian children.

“We saw a very high number of cases of diarrhea among infants and again, no, there’s no treatment available for them. You know, if you have a child with diarrhea you need to give them re-hydration in order to keep them going until they get better and if you’re not able to do that, they can die very quickly from dehydration.”

Thanksgiving and Truthgiving Senryu

nonstop back and forth

between thanksgiving and truthgiving ...

a pile of leftovers

NeverEnding Story, November 23 2023

FYI: The Nation, The Debate, Nov. 20: Should America Keep Celebrating Thanksgiving?: Sean Sherman argues that we need to decolonize Thanksgiving, while Chase Iron Eyes calls for replacing Thanksgiving with a “Truthsgiving.”

For many Americans, the image of Thanksgiving is one of supposed unity: the gathering of “Pilgrims and Indians” in a harmonious feast. But this version obscures the harsh truth, one steeped in colonialism, violence, and misrepresentation.

Thanksgiving’s roots are intertwined with colonial aggression. One of the first documented “Thanksgivings” came in 1637, after the colonists celebrated their massacre of an entire Pequot village.

Peace, a Bloody Mirage

from a Canadian Perspective

written in response to the surprise Hamas attack and the Israelis declaration of war

spilling of blood

later a stream of blood flows

into a river of blood ...

war after war news ...

the length of our silence

this Thanksgiving

NeverEnding Story, October 9 2023

FYI: Yahoo!News, October 7: 'You don't speak for Canada': Internet reacts as Trudeau says 'we stand with Israel'

Justin Trudeau, @JustinTrudeau, Oct 7

Canada strongly condemns the current terrorist attacks against Israel. These acts of violence are completely unacceptable. We stand with Israel and fully support its right to defend itself. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this. Civilian life must be protected.

nuha, @nuhanotnoah 

Today is a day I hate being Canadian. How dare you never help innocent Palestinians getting attacked and murdered on a daily basis, and the one time they decide to fight back you chose the side who caused all this with billions of dollars going towards their everyday violence... 

Added:

Day and Night

lineup around the street

this lingering smell of turkey

from a soup kitchen

the weight and cost

of Happy Thanksgiving

table for one, please 

Frost Alert Tanka

first frost alert

this Thanksgiving morning

alone

I heat the tea kettle 

and wait for its whistle

NeverEnding Story, October 10 2022

FYI: For more about understatement, see "To the Lighthouse: A Rhetorical Device, Understatement"

And the following tanka I wrote last year could be read as a sequel:

alone

to reheat leftovers ...

the memories

we didn't share but bury inside

on Thanksgiving night

As Usual

a 3-haiku sequence about this (supposedly happy) Thanksgiving long weekend

a cacophony

of horns and tire screeches

Thanksgiving trip

quiet dinner

except the clicking

of chopsticks

leftovers

between us all that

remains

NeverEnding Story, October 9, 2022

FYI: For more about understatement, see my "To the Lighthouse" post, A Rhetorical Device, Understatement 

Thanksgiving Parade Haiku

This Brave New World, XXXVI

written in response to Joe Biden's phone interview: "After two years, we're back. America is back. There's nothing we're unable to overcome" 

Thanksgiving parade

stretching around the corner

a food bank lineup

PoemHunter, November 25 2021

FYI: CBC News, November 25: Balloons, dancers and a cheering crowd: Macy's Thanksgiving parade returns in 'full strength: 'America is back,' U.S. president says in phone interview.

To U.S. President Joe Biden, the parade's full-fledged return was a sign of renewal, and he called NBC broadcaster Al Roker on-air to say so.

"After two years, we're back. America is back. There's nothing we're unable to overcome," Biden said over the phone from Nantucket, Mass., where he was watching the broadcast with his family.

Pandemic Pets and Happiest Thanksgiving Tanka

Two Hundred and Eighty-Ninth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

one pandemic pet

comes to me after another ...

we are all

inthistogether on the couch

to watch day's end in silence

NeverEnding Story, November 24 2021 

Added: This Brave New World, XXXV

Happiest Thanksgiving Ever

Trump awarded

highest taekwondo rank ...

one Bruce Lee kick

after another in the head

of Trump's life-size cardboard cutout

a gang of crows

descending on a dumpster 

in dim street light

thanksgiving leftovers mixed

with mud-stained copies of Trump

FYI: Trump: Think Big and Kick Ass, Trump: How to Get Rich, Trump: The Art of the Deal, Trump: Think Like A Billionaire, Trump: Think Like a Champion, Trump: The America We Deserve,Trump: The Art of the Comeback, ... authored by LoserInChief, Donald Trump

Thanksgiving Leftovers Tanka

alone

to reheat leftovers ...

the memories

we didn't share but bury inside

on Thanksgiving night

NeverEnding Story, October 12 2021

Added: Two Hundred and Seventy-Third Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

police station banner waving 

we are still smiling under our masks

Pandemic Thanksgiving Haiku

Two Hundred and Seventy-Second Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

written in response to the advice from Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam: hosting small gatherings and being mindful of people’s vaccination status.

Thanksgiving buffet

dining tables six feet apart 

under the same roof

NeverEnding Story, October 11 2021

Thanksgiving-In-Place? Tanka

One Hundred Forty-Second Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

 

more restrictions

for Thanksgiving holiday?

bare branches 

tapping at the windows 

of a nursing home

NeverEnding Story, November 26 2020

FYI: CTV News, Nov. 24: "Thanksgiving could make or break U.S. coronavirus response."

In Pennsylvania, if you're having friends over to socialize, you're supposed to wear a mask -- and so are your friends. That's the rule, but Barb Chestnut has no intention of following it.

"No one is going to tell me what I can or not do in my own home," said Chestnut, 60, of Shippensburg. "They do not pay my bills and they are not going to tell me what to do."

Added: For peace-loving Americans

Thanksgiving dinner

a row of We Just Did hats

on the mantle

Added: One Hundred Forty-Third Entry

Black Friday deals
two masked mother-to-be

compare their bellies

 

Added: One Hundred Forty-Fourth Entry 

 

commercials

blasting loud on TV ...

my niece

not sure which face mask

to wear on Black Friday

Selected Senryu Sequence: American Carnage

New Life in Trumpland, A Senryu Sequence

Go Trump graffiti
a stray dog
marking his spot

trumping Trump
my Mexican parrot
lifts up its voice

election night
a scream from the other side
of the fence

Trump victory
the sky bursting
with crows

post-election blues
my sister dressed in black
from head to toe

Thanksgiving dinner
Trump hats and Clinton stickers
left on the doormat

misty night
red states,  blue states
strongertogether

first false dawn
Donald Trump Toppled
on realnews

bald eagle's cry
cut off
Inauguration Day

a neon sign
on the White House roof:
Alternative Facts

NeverEnding Story, January 23, 2017

No Politics Sign Tanka

written in response to  How to handle hot-potato election issues at Thanksgiving dinner

the Maple Leaf

swinging this way

and that ...

a No Politics sign

on the dining room wall

NeverEnding Story, October 14, 2019

Note:  Today is Canadian Thanksgiving Day (occurring on the second Monday in October and six weeks earlier than American Thanksgiving Day).  And the 2019 Canadian federal election is scheduled to take place on October 21.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Tanka

thanksgiving leftovers
with a big bed of greens ...
eating alone
in this attic room
smelly from my immigrant past

NeverEnding Story, October 10, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving Haiku

a slight edge
to the migrant's voice
Happy Thanksgiving

PoemHunter, November 22, 2018

Selected Senryu: Thanksgiving Dinner Senryu

thanksgiving dinner
my ex sits in the back
of my mind

Paper Wasp, 19:2, Winter 2013