Tag: food

Thanksgiving–Not as Seen Before

~~ by tkbrown — ≥∑
Thanksgiving--not as seen  before--
limiting self to hearth and home,
mask mandates anywhere you roam,
restricting groups to ten--no more--
if they gather behind closed door.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

The turkey--much smaller than last year--
roast and wrap with cornbread dressing.
Taunted taste buds dream of tasting--
sometimes an apple in the core
with spices, onion cut into four.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

Social distance is still the chant.
Some adhere while others ignore.
Dangerous surges, death counts soar--
no reason for fare to be scant.
Come one, come all--uncle and aunt.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

"Turkey, dressing," the constant rant--
green beans, yams, casseroles galore,
cranberry relish, pies and more.
Tasty morsels making one pant--
food is now ready, plates are sent.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

Some of us will abide the score
set forth by those in government
rather than risk that rudiment--
the viral germ outside the door
ruining life for the party goer.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

Giving thanks is the sentiment--
bonding infused with leaden ore--
the hearts of some recall the gore,
prefer to emit resentment
for losses, lives that have been bent.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

How to give thanks midst all the grief?
How to make mem'ries that will soar
amidst COVID's hellacious war?
How to move past and find relief,
giving thanks, not able to share?
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

Faith doth answer, provides an oar.
It builds a raft when hearts are rent,
He is your tabernacle tent.
Row to Him, cling to His harbor,
tell Him your sorrow--aching sore.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

Let Him hold you, secure though bent.
Place your worries there in His care.
His love will reduce wear and tear
and calm each tempest you lament.
Peace so serene when we can vent.
Thanksgiving--not as seen before.

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Background Photo Above: by monicore @ pixabay.com.

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Heading Words Adaptation on Background Photo Above: by tkbrown – ≥∑.

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Thanksgiving . . .

~~ by tkbrown ~~
Thanksgiving comes 'round but once in a year;
families gather to engage in prayer
for all new blessings received with much care.

Food will be eaten, much has been spread
it seems everywhere except on the bed,
a colorful view -- yellow, green and red.

There is so much food, it is hard to choose -- 
a bit of this, a bit of that -- a ruse,
fanfare tries hard to not indulge abuse.

Family time for all, with love is cast
to the forefront instead of placing last --
so much sharing to recover the past.

It's hard to slip even a word edgewise,
and many a word we must now excise;
do not interrupt, it would not be wise.

Keep this and that under your wide-brimmed hat,
because saying it might create a spat --
one surely would not want the guild of that.

Memories are made for all to recall,
and pictures are posed to hang on the wall -- 
festivities grand are enjoyed by all.

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Notes: A seven-stanza triplet is chosen for this poem. Both the English triplet and the Italian tercet consist of three-line stanzas. The Italian terset originated first and encompasses many poetic forms.

The original form consisted of three lines with ten or twelve syllables each and varied rhyme schemes. The more structured English triplet consists of three ten or twelve syllable monorhymed lines (monorhymed: rhymed with a single repetitious end sound). The poem may consist of any number of stanzas.

Other forms of the tercet include the haiku, the senryu, the Villanelle and the Terza Rima. The tercet in varied forms was favored in Romance literature of the Middle Ages.

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Sources:
Eds. (2019). Literary Devices: Definition and Examples of Literary Terms, “Tercet.” (3 November 2019). https://literarydevices.net/tercet/.

McKinney, Carla Jean. (25 July 2019). Pen & the Pad. “What is a Triplet Poem?” (3 November 2019). https://penandthepad.com/triplet-poem- 10004959.html.

Tinker. (2 June 2009). Poetry Magnum Opus. “III. Three Line Construction.” (3 November 2019). http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1008-iii-three-line-construction/.

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Image Above: by Geordie @ pixabay.com.

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Calendar Quindecims –November

~~ by tkbrown

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November
Thanksgiving vibes flow through our veins,
fill the atmosphere with celebratory strains.
Our hearts overflow with holiday cheer
as carols ring out in the blustery air.
Tinsels, lights and bows are strung
along the streets, in our homes are hung
as shoppers search for gifts far flung.
Christmas carols begin to be sung
by old and young and those in between,
and one can almost see a glistening sheen
as everywhere people cast doubt aside
and swear by His will they do abide.
Thanksgiving Day we'll offer up a prayer
for all the love, food and wealth we share --
the Spirit overcomes all we cannot hold dear.

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Photo above:
The First Thanksgiving -- by Bettman/Corbis @ Smithsonian.org,

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Lead Pipes . . .

~~ an Essay ~~

~~ by tkbrown

According to the Associated Press (Porter and Catalini), lead pipes — in cities across America — are poisoning our children . . . and us . . . via the water that is piped into our homes. Tainted water in Washington D.C. was just the beginning. Then came the Flint, Michigan water scandal . . . and now Newark, New Jersey.

The human body, our domestic animals . . . we must have water to live. What an irony that the very pipes bringing that water into our homes are also poisoning that water with lead. This water, in turn, poisons all who drink it.

Porter and Catalini cite the 1986 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ban of lead in water pipes. The reason for the ban, cited by the EPA, was “lead’s harmful effects on children’s nervous systems.” In 1991, water systems across the nation were required by federal mandate to monitor lead levels in drinking water with a limit established of 15 parts per billion.

The 1991 mandate was twenty-eight years ago. This means that every town, village, community and city in this nation should have, on record, the levels of lead in the servicing water system(s). How much lead are YOU drinking daily? How much lead is your beloved dog or cat drinking daily? Even more importantly, how much are our children — who have no protection if not by us — drinking daily?

Are WE killing our children in America, because we have omitted following up on these mandates? Are WE causing the neurological damage that our children suffer because we have blindly trusted the system to correct the problem?

It is time for US to stop allowing our children to be poisoned by the very people who create the laws for us to live by! It is time for us to stop putting the children of other nations ahead of our own children’s health, education and welfare!

It is time for US — ALL OF US — to inundate our local, state and federal government representatives with demands to purify our water systems. Is the anti-corrosive coating inside many of these lead pipes actually preventing that lead from leaching through into the water? We had better be finding out — for our children’s sake — for our grandchildren’s sake!

Passing out bottled water is not sufficient! That bottled water in no way covers all of the water ingested by our children. Food is washed and cooked from tap water, as a rule. That means the very food we are serving our children may be poisoning them. Where can our children turn for protection if we, their parents and grandparents, are not protecting them?

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Sources: Porter, David and Catalini, Mike. (13 September 2019). “Lead pipes that tainted Newark’s water are found across US.” (Accessed 13 September 2019). Associated Press (AP) on msn news. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lead-pipes-that-tainted-newarks-water-are-found-across-us/ar-AAHfXiB?ocid=spartanntp.

Mayo Clinic. (6 December 2016). “Patient Care and Health Information – Diseases and Conditions: Lead Poisoning.” (Accessed 13 September 2019). Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20354717.

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Photo Above: by Epcor.com.

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