heat lightning,

I give thanks.

For fear at bedsides,

for faith that held

us all in sturdy arms

even when we cried,

I give thanks.

For school folks,

for church folks,

for the music of perking coffee

during the last hand of cards,

I give thanks.

For two old elms

creaking outside my bedroom window

leaning toward each other

like old women telling stories,

I give thanks.

For a kitchen swelled by the smell

of baking bread,

for Grandma’s feet treading

the Singer sewing machine,

I give thanks.

For kerosene lanterns

when ice storms rattled the house,

for the wall phone’s melodious ring,

for the angel of mercy

ending suffering at last,

I give thanks.

For the wonder of library books,

for teachers who were kind,

for a dog to keep me company,

for parents who loved me,

I give thanks.

For tornadoes, for hailstorms,

for blizzards and sweltering summer days,

for the sweet rich soil of my youth,

I give thanks.