Thanksgiving Poems

Holidays provide an easy reference point for poetry ideas. This week, with Thanksgiving around the corner, I decided to bring in Virgil Suárez's "Mango Eating in America." Suárez writes about his childhood in Cuba, and how delicious the mangoes tasted in his native country. Students were asked why Suárez might prefer Cuban mangoes to American ones, and their reasons -- they taste better (sweeter), they remind him of home, they're bigger -- were all excellent starting points for writing poems on a number of suggested Thanksgiving themes.

Ms. Barreda, 8^th Grade

Thanksgiving
Rubisel L.

Thanksgiving is a holiday
that me and my family
celebrate. Thanksgiving
is something to eat.

When it's Thanksgiving my
family goes to my aunt's house
to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Every Thanksgiving we eat a
turkey and we go to my
aunt's house.

On Thanksgiving my
family stays up until midnight.
When it's Friday my family calls
us to go eat turkey at their house.

My Thanksgiving
Stephanie P.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving don't know
what to do. Before my whole family and I
got together we all pitched in to make
the food. It was great even though sometimes
we had fights and either me or my
sister end up being mad the whole night but
at the end we were still family. Then
we all sit down and eat. By the end
of the night everyone would go home,
we had finished eating, watching movies
and talking. Wow I never knew how
before my Thanksgiving was so wonderful.
Now hopefully we could do the same thing
this year.

Give Thanks on Thanksgiving
Maydali S.

In my family we
celebrate Thanks-
giving. Not with
turkey because I
don't like it. One
day I had a night-
mare with a
turkey. I dreamed
that once I
was eating turkey
on Thanksgiving Day
and I dreamed that
while I was eating
turkey, the turkey
started to talk to
me and I got so
scared about that
stupid turkey that
I never wanted
to eat it again.
Every time when my
mom is making the
turkey and my mom
asks me to help her,
I always answer, “No
thanks I'm OK.” Every
time when my mom
asks me that question
the turkey talks to
me and he says, “Come
on, Maydali, come
enjoy me.” I get
so nervous that I
say to the turkey,
“Be quiet, stupid
turkey, I am only going
to see you until
tonight, then you're
going to be in the
stomach of everyone.”

Thanksgiving Food
Edgar T.

The Thanksgiving food, turkey, salad,
soon, it is very good when this celebration comes
around that time of year.

Kids are playing, hungry, parents and
older kids are watching the game, friends
and family join as they all pray, then eat
their delicious food. After they had their
Thanksgiving food,

all have given thanks. That's
what this celebration is about.

Mrs. Turk, 7^th Grade

Bob the Turkey
Julissa A.

Thanksgiving is the worst holiday for me
I get caught
then chopped
what kind of life
is that?
Why can't you people eat ham
or pizza?
It would taste better
than me.
I promise.
I'm just a baby turkey
named Bob.

Untitled (Thanksgiving Poem)
Ana A.

Turkey turkey
everybody wants
to eat, but what
I like about
Thanksgiving is
almost all my
family is together.
We're having fun.
We get to give thanks
for everything we
have.
We eat apple pie, soda.
Oh my god and the
best turkey is
what everybody
loves to eat.

Happy Thanksgiving
Emily L.

I can so tell
the day is here,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The sound of the timer
going off to let us know
the turkey is done,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The sound of the knife, going
up & down, cutting the vegetables,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The smell of the pumpkin pie,
the smooshy sound of the
mash potatoes & I would name them
but it'll take up sooo much space,
Happy Thanksgiving!

And lastly the big juicy turkey,
we all gather around the
table, thinking what fight is going
to happen this year, who gets
to cut the turkey & who
gets to brave the wish bone,
Happy Thanksgiving!

I look and even with
all the commotion going
on, I'm oh so grateful
for another weird, funny,
happy, cheerful
Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!
Victoria R.

We arrive at my aunt's. I
smell the turkey she's
cooking, the potatoes she's
peeling, so I guess it's time
to wait for dinner. So there
I am watching TV and
I hear the
yelling of my name. I set
the table. We get ready
to eat and
then we all eat. So there we
are, eating on Thanksgiving night,
where it is quiet, no loud
noises in sight.

Ms. Touras, 6^th Grade

Thanksgiving
Juan C.

When it comes to
Thanksgiving I
don't like the
turkey, I hate it.

I don't like it
because it looks ugly
and tastes so nasty that
I don't even want
to look at it.

So when it comes
to turkey I just
pass on my plate
to someone else
who wants it.

And then I will
eat something else
that is good like sour candy.

Big Stomach
Joyce J.

I get a big stomach on
Thanksgiving. Never in my life
have I eaten so much.

The dishes are filled with
turkey and sometimes they are
filled with beef jerky.

My favorite is mashed potatoes
with gravy on top, other times it's
hard to wait until they are
ready.

That's a big meal but on Thanks-
giving it's not, it's a perfect day
to eat.

Untitled (Thanksgiving Poem)
Elik J.

As we leave
our mom calls us
to get the food

and the drinks so
we could leave,
leave because it is

Thanksgiving. We leave
to the house of
my uncle, kids are

playing, adults talk by
the food. We gather
around the table, we all

pray and give thanks. As we
leave, as I sit thinking of
all the food, the turkey, the gravy,
the family, the colors, green, red,

blue; as I sit I wonder what
will happen next time
we go; but I

will miss the white
meat, covered in silver,
I hope I will

remember this, I hope
next time will be the
same.