Flower and May

A poem for Thanksgiving

Nov 28, 2024

∙ Paid

May, the 2007 Thanksgiving Turkey, in the Rose Garden. In pardoning May, and the alternate, Flower, President George W. Bush said, “May they live the rest of their lives in blissful gobbling. And may all Americans enjoy a holiday full of love and peace. God bless you all.” (White House photo by Chris Greenberg)

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Flower and May

As of today, I’m putting myself 
under house arrest. I’m cordoning 
off the yard with the red velvet rope

I lifted from our 14-screen multiplex. 
I’m a happy larcener utterly without 
compunction. I don the attire 

of a Venus flytrap and stand 
terribly still. Clearly, history 
does not hinge on my petty thefts. 

Though I often imagine the victims 
imagining me. Who needed 
the hot-dog roller more than I? 

What kind of person steals 
the remote control without having 
the device it’s designed to control?

I think you know what I’m getting at here. 
I like to imagine the viewer forever 
with the sound turned down watching 

the president pardon turkeys 
on Tha…

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