Popular Poems about Thanksgiving

1. Thanksgiving Thought
   Poet: Eleanor Halbrook Zimmerman
   
   Thanksgiving comes but once a year,
   And yet the whole year round
   The heart of love, the heart of cheer
   Will make a joyful sound;
   And we who keep Christ's loving way
   Will have Thanksgiving every day.
   
   Thanksgiving comes but once a year,
   But harvests need not wait;
   We can cast all our doubt and fear
   Daily, and soon or late
   Find harvests in our hearts that shine
   More fair than wheat fields can design.
   
   Rejoice on this Thanksgiving Day
   That it peed have no end;
   That every' hour in every way
   Life is a steadfast friend
   To all who practice well the art
   Of true Thanksgiving in the heart!




2. Leave a Seat For Jesus
   By Jason Kirk Bartley
   
   We gathered over at grandma's,
   and boy was the house filled,
   With the smell of turkey roasting and joyful toasting,
   everyone's drinks were spilled.
   You could hear my cousins boasting
   of everything they had done.
   Then there was the Parkers who
   talked about everyone.
   
   No one was missing,
   but an empty seat was all spread,
   Grander than the others,
   as we sat down to eat grandma’s fresh baked bread.
   My uncle was perplexed at where the seat was sitting,
   at the table's head.
   But it didn't interrupt Aunt Sue who finished up her knitting,
   and didn't finish what she said.
   
   My little nephew exclaimed,
   “Who is sitting there today?”
   Grandma came over and draped her arm over his little shoulder
   in such a loving way.
   “This seat's for Jesus",
   is all she had to say.
   Everyone was whispering
   as grandma began to pray.
   
   She invited Jesus to sit with them and
   eat this marvelous Thanksgiving day.
   She went over and served Him as if He were really there,
   sitting in amongst them in that empty chair.
   My cousins started chuckling,
   for the antics were too great.
   But we knew He'd come,
   because Jesus is never late.
   
   That did not stop my nephew,
   Jimmie from giving as an offering to Jesus his last roll,
   ‘Cause Jimmie knew that if he asked
   Jesus would save his soul.
   We could not see the Savior, but we knew He was there for real,
   waiting in amongst us 'cause His Spirit we could feel.
   He was in each heart and in that empty chair.
   We knew that Jesus had come and dined with us.
   He was really there.



  
Christian Poems



3. Fill Your Heart With Thanksgiving
   Poet: Helen Steiner Rice
   
   Take nothing for granted, for whenever you do
   The "joy of enjoying" is lessened for you -
   For we rob our own lives much more than we know
   When we fail to respond or in any way show
   Our thanks for the blessings that daily are ours . . .
   The warmth of the sun, the fragrance of flowers,
   The beauty of twilight, the freshness of dawn,
   The coolness of dew on a green velvet lawn,
   The kind little deeds so thoughtfully done,
   The favors of friends and the love that someone
   Unselfishly gives us in a myriad of ways,
   Expecting no payment and no words of praise -
   Oh, great is our loss when we no longer find
   A thankful response to things of this kind,
   For the joy of enjoying and the fullness of living
   Are found in the heart that is filled with thanksgiving




Happy Thanksgiving Quotes




4. Thanksgiving
   Poet: Edgar A. Guest
   
   Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
   An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
   An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
   Are growin more beautiful day after day;
   Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
   Buildin' the old family circle again;
   Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
   Just for awhile at the end of the year.
   
   Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
   And under the old roof we gather once more
   Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
   Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
   Father's a little bit older, but still
   Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
   Here we are back at the table again
   Tellin' our stories as women and men.
   
   Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
   Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
   Home from the east land an' home from the west,
   Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
   Out of the sham of the cities afar
   We've come for a time to be just what we are.
   Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
   Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.
   
   Give me the end of the year an' its fun
   When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
   Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
   Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
   Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
   See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
   See the old table with all of its chairs
   An I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.
   
   
   
   

Be Thankful Quotes




5. A Thanksgiving Prayer
   Poet: Blanche Lea Walden
   
   For those who bravely dared to face
   The wolf-fangs of the sea,
   To find a land where they might dwell
   In faith and liberty.
   For pioneers who blazed the trails
   And broke the virgin sod
   With strength and spirit, firm, and sure,
   Today, we thank thee, God!
   
   For ancestors with a vision
   As wide and deep and high
   And as filled with stars of promise
   As the eternal sky,
   For health and homes and country
   And laughter, sweet and gay
   For all of these - and love and faith
   We thank thee, God, today!




Thanksgiving Prayers



6. Thanksgiving Song
   Poet: Laura Lee Randall
   
   This is the day the Lord hath made;
   Be glad, give thanks, rejoice;
   Stand in his presence, unafraid,
   In praise lift up your voice.
   All perfect gifts are from above,
   And all our blessings show
   The amplitude of God's dear love
   Which every heart may know.
   
   The Lord will hear before we call,
   And every need supply;
   Good things are freely given to all
   Who on His word rely.
   We come today to bring Him praise
   Not for such gifts alone,
   But for the higher, deeper ways
   In which His love is shown.
   
   For sin destroyed, for sorrow healed.
   For health and peace restored;
   For Life and Love by Truth revealed,
   We thank and bless the Lord.
   This is the day the Lord hath made,
   In praise lift up your voice.
   In shining robes of joy arrayed,
   Be glad, give thanks, rejoice.




7. Thanksgiving Kitchens
   Poet: Dorothy Brown Thompson
   
   Thanksgiving kitchens
   Are gay with color —
   Pumpkins are yellow.
   Apples are red;
   And though the puddings
   Are somewhat duller,
   A richer fragrance
   Is theirs instead.
   
   And what a fragrance!
   Spices and sweetness
   Wreathing steam-clouds
   Round eager faces;
   The turkey stuffed to
   Luscious repleteness;
   Thanksgiving kitchens —
   Promising places!




Funny Thanksgiving Poems



8. Thanksgiving Wishes
   Poet: Arthur Guiterman
   
   I wish you all that pen and ink
   Could write, and then some more!
   I hope you cannot even think
   Of half you're thankful for.
   
   I hope your table holds a wealth
   Of prime Thanksgiving fare,
   And Love and Peace and Joy and Health
   Will all be seated there.
   
   I trust your guests will all be bright,
   But none of them too wise.
   And each will bring an appetite
   For mince or pumpkin pies.
   
   I hope the fowls will all be fate.
   The cider sweet to quaff.
   And when yuo snap a wishbone, that
   You'll win the larger half!




Thanksgiving Wishes



9. A Thanksgiving Hymn
   Poet: Agnes Maule Machar
   
   For the gladness of the sunshine.
   For the dropping of the rain,
   For the springtide's bloom of promise,
   For the autumn's golden grain,
   For the beauty of the forest.
   For the fatness of the field,
   For the orchard's rosy fruitage,
   For the vineyard's luscious yield.
   We thank Thee, O Lord!
   
   For the nobler, richer beauty,
   For the light that spirits know,
   For the sacredness of duty
   Guiding us through life below.
   For our earthly ties so precious,
   For the fireside warm and bright,
   For the faith that through the darkness
   Leads us to immortal light,
   We thank Thee, O Lord!
   
   For the drought that parched and withered.
   For the blast that bared the bough,
   For the clouds concealing blessings
   That we may not measure now,
   For our gladness and our sorrow.
   For our poverty and wealth.
   For our getting and our losing,
   For our sickness and our health.
   We thank Thee, O Lord!
   
   For the losses and the crosses
   Coming sore against our will;
   From Thy hand each good gift cometh,
   And, not less, the seeming ill.
   What Thou givest in Thy wisdom.
   That alone to us is blest.
   And of all Thy countless givings,
   For Thy boundless love, the best,
   We thank Thee, Lord!




Thanksgiving Verses In The Bible



10. Hope This Thanksgiving
    Poet: Judith A. Lindberg
    
    The simplicity is overwhelming,
    For what we plant, we also reap.
    
    Lord, grant us soul seeds,
    That we may plant them with love,
    Weather them with tears of compassion,
    Nurture them with embraces of warmth,
    Protect them from the storms of life.
    
    Bless this bounty with grace and gentleness,
    That the harvest will be abundant
    In love, in trust, to be shared
    With those closest to our hearts.
    
    May we plant soul seeds for strength,
    Harvested in hope this Thanksgiving,
    For all the days and years that follow.




11. Good To Set Aside
    Poet Unknown
    
    It is good
    To set aside a day when we remember
    That the beauty about us —
    The land, the sea, the sky,
    And all that is,
    Is not as a result of our power,
    But really, truly
    Because of the Divine love
    And providence of God
    Who cares.
    
    Father, instill in us
    A right spirit,
    So that what we see
    Is not so much
    The many things we have
    For our own,
    But what others do not have
    To call their own.
    Thus — in this light
    Let us be thankful.
    
    Thanksgiving — quite inexpressible in words
    Yet adequately expressed
    In little deeds or silent gifts
    That arise spontaneously
    Almost sympathetically
    When the chord of love is struck.
    Thus, in the touch of a moment
    We express something almost inexpressible
    And we give thanks.







12. Thanksgiving
    Poet: Unknown
    
    There's not a leaf within the bower,-
    There's not a bird upon the tree,-
    There's not a dewdrop on the flower,-
    But bears the impress, Lord, of Thee.
    
    Thy power the varied leaf designed,
    And gave the bird its thrilling tone;
    Thy hand the dewdrops' tints combined,
    Till like a diamond's blaze they shone.
    
    Yes, dewdrops, leaves and buds, and all,-
    The smallest, like the greatest things,-
    The sea's vast space, the earth's wide ball,
    Alike proclaim Thee, King of kings!
    
    But man alone, to bounteous Heaven,
    Thanksgiving's conscious strains can raise:
    To favored man, alone, 'tis given,
    To join the angelic choir in praise.




13. Thanksgiving
    Poet: Cobb
    
    For harvest safely stored away,
    For snug warm home when skies are gray,
    For work well done and it's reward,
    Throughout this happy land is heard
    Thanksgiving.
    
    For all the blessings of the year.
    For all the friends to us so dear.
    For sweet content this glad day brings,
    My heart breaks out in joy and sings
    Thanksgiving.




Thanksgiving Blessings



14. Thanksgiving Day
    Poet: Edward Sherwood Creamer
    
    At the gateway of the winter now comes Thanksgiving tide.
    In the glory of its atmosphere, its pie and turkey pride,
    And it is most becoming that its cheer should far and wide abound.
    E'en going to the humblest home where'er it may be found.
    
    In olden time Thanksgiving was for harvests poor or good.
    The corn, the pumpkin, wheat, and all that gave a livelihood,
    For poor returns the Pilgrims held up their hearts in praise,
    Far greater should our thanks be that live in these glorious days.
    
    Then welcome be Thanksgiving with its manifold feasts and joys;
    Under many a homestead roof now gather the girls and boys;
    And though some of us fail somewhat in harvests where we strive,
    We should be thankful for our hopes, and that we are alive.
    
    Then pass around the turkey, the mince and apple pies;
    Don't slight the poor and needy if in wisdom you'd be wise,
    To relieve distress our people have only to be told,
    For Lord be thanked the human heart is yet as good as gold!




15. A Good Thanksgiving
    Poet: Marian Douglas
    
    Said old gentleman Gay, "On a Thanksgiving Day,
    If you want a good time, then give something away."
    So he sent a fat turkey to shoemaker Price;
    And the shoemaker said: "What a big bird! How nice!
    And since such a good dinner's before me I ought
    To give poor widow Lee the small chicken I bought."
    "This fine chicken, O see!" said the pleased widow Lee.
    "And the kindness that sent it, how precious to me!
    I would like to make some one as happy as I;
    I'll give washwoman Biddy my big pumpkin pie."
    
    "And sure," Biddy said, "'tis the queen of all pies.
    Just to look at its yellow face gladdens my eyes.
    Now it's my turn, I think; and a sweet ginger-cake
    For the motherless Finnigan children I'll bake."
    "A sweet cake all our own! 'Tis too good to be true,"
    Said the Finnigan children. Rose, Denny, and Hugh:
    "It smells of sweet spice, and we'll carry a slice
    To poor little lame Jake, who has nothing that's nice.
    "
    "O, thank you and thank you," said little lame Jake:
    "What a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful cake!
    And such a big slice! I'll save all the crumbs
    And give them to each little sparrow that comes."
    And the sparrows, they twittered as if they would say,
    Like old gentleman Gay, "On a Thanksgiving day,
    If you want a good time, then give something away."




16. Thanksgiving
    Poet: Margaret E. Sangster
    
    The yellow has gone from the maples,
    The birds fly away to the South,
    I hear the great blast of the north wind,
    A trumpet with storms in its mouth.
    Ere long and the snow will be falling,
    The twilight come early and cold,
    And the beautiful runes of the summer
    Shall be but as tales that are told.
    
    Yet now is the time for Thanksgiving,
    For music and greetings and mirth;
    A song for the old folk we honor -
    A song for the little one's birth.
    In the home as we joyfully gather,
    As gayly we sit at the board,
    We lift up our praise to the Father:
    Accept our Thanksgiving, O Lord!
    
    For the land of our love and our freedom,
    For harvests in byre and bin,
    For the flag on the school and our steeple,
    For fruits in their wealth garnered in.
    Dear Lord, when we count up thy mercies.
    Bewildered we pause in the task,
    So swift and so large is thy goodness,
    Outrunning the favors we ask.
    
    The kindred come home for Thanksgiving,
    Sweet children, old men with gray hair;
    And sometimes the poor and the stranger
    The love and the tenderness share.
    God make us like him in our giving,
    Like him in our grace and our love,
    And so shall the light of our living
    Be caught from his temple above.




17. The True Thanksgiving
    Poet: Unknown
    
    There is no heart so bleak and bare
    But heaven has sent some blessing there;
    No table, e're so sparsely spread,
    But that a grace should there be said.
    
    No life but knows some moment blest.
    Of sweet contentment and of rest;
    No heart so cold but heaven above
    Hath touched it with the warmth of love.
    
    For those who suffer and endure
    There is God's mercy ever sure,
    And patience wins a fairer crown
    Than wordly honor or renown.
    
    Not in the mansion reared in pride
    Doth happiness alone abide,
    For oft the place knoweth not
    The joy that bless a humble cot.
    
    So count your blessings, one by one,
    At early morn and set of sun,
    And, like an incense, to the skies
    Your prayers of thankfulness shall rise.
    
    Look for the love that heaven sends,
    The good that every soul intends.
    Thus you will learn the only way
    To keep a true Thanksgiving day.




Be Thankful Poems



18. A Psalm Of Thanksgiving
    Psalm 100 (NLT)
    
    Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
    Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
    
    Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
    
    Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
    
    For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.




19. Thanksgiving Rest
    Poet: Hattie Whitney
    
    The busy year has ceased its toil,
    Its peaceful hour of twilight won;
    Its leaves and bloom are laid away,
    Its webs of shade and luster spun;
    The fleeces of the fields are shorn,
    The fruitage gathered from the bough;
    The fervor of the sun is lost -
    The weary world is resting now.
    
    As gloaming lies 'twixt day and dark,
    There comes a little space between
    The bitter wastes of winter snow
    And autumn's matchless gold and green;
    And though the world be chill without,
    In this late twilight of the year,
    The gray month bears a jeweled link -
    A day of happiness and cheer.
    
    So, troubled Marthas of the land,
    Unbind the burden of your woes;
    Recall the words the Savior spoke;
    Seek out the part that Mary chose.
    Sit down, in peace, beside your hearth;
    Let fretting sorrows drift away,
    And take unto your weary hearts
    The lesson of Thanksgiving Day.




Thanksgiving Lesson



20. Thanksgiving
    by Rev. George T. Packard
    
    "If these should hold their peace," the leaves
    In autumn fields would murmur praise,
    And garnered grain, with tuneful sheaves,
    Would own the gift of harvest days!
    
    Then hold not thou thy peace, my heart!
    Let love make music sweet and strong!
    With choirs above thou hast a part,
    And thine the new thanksgiving song!




21. The Feast Time Of The Year
    Poet: Harriet McEwen Kimball
    
    This is the feast-time of the year,
    When hearts grow warmer, and home more dear;
    When autumn's crimson torch expires,
    To flash again in winter fires;
    And they who tracked October's flight,
    In charmed circle sit and praise
    The goodly logs' triumphant blaze.




Famous Thanksgiving Poems



22. Thanksgiving
    Poet: Edgar A. Guest
    
    Thankful for the glory of the old Red, White and Blue,
    For the spirit of America that still is staunch and true,
    For the laughter of our children and the sunlight in their eyes,
    And the joy of radiant mothers and their evening lullabies;
    And thankful that our harvests wear no taint of blood to-day,
    But were sown and reaped by toilers who were light of heart and gay.
    
    Thankful for the riches that are ours to claim and keep,
    The joy of honest labor and the boon of happy sleep.
    For each little family circle where there is no empty chair
    Save where God has sent the sorrow for the loving hearts to bear;
    And thankful for the loyal souls and brave hearts of the past
    Who builded that contentment should be with us to the last.
    
    Thankful for the plenty that our peaceful land has blessed,
    For the rising sun that beckons every man to do his best.
    For the goal that lies before him and the promise when he sows
    That his hand shall reap the harvest, undisturbed by cruel foes;
    For the flaming torch of justice, symbolizing as it burns:
    Here none may rob the toiler of the prize he fairly earns.
    
    To-day our thanks we're giving for the riches that are ours,
    For the red fruits of the orchards and the perfume of the flowers
    . For our homes with laughter ringing and our hearthfires blazing bright,
    For our land of peace and plenty and our land of truth and right;
    And we're thankful for the glory of the old Red, White and Blue,
    For the spirit of our fathers and a manhood that is true.




Thanksgiving Poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson



23. Thanksgiving Accept
    Poet: William Dean Howells
    
    Lord, for the erring thought
    Not into evil wrought;
    Lord, for the wicked will
    Betrayed and baffled still;
    For the heart from itself kept, -
    Our thanksgiving accept.
    
    For ignorant hopes that were
    Broken to our blind prayer;
    For pain, death, sorrow, sent
    Unto our chastisement;
    For all loss of seeming good,-
    Quicken our gratitude.