Harvest Home

Modern day pilgrims
fly in from everywhere;
they drive home
and come in
from the far off pastures
bringing their sheaves with them.

The original pilgrims
were with each other all the time
and rejoiced to have food
while we
regularly having food in abundance
are in turn celebrating the rare opportunity
of being together.

These days
the bounty brought around the table
is more people tied in bunches than crops
each with their own field of labor
set aside for the day.

We cook up kinship
using the best ingredients.
We dish up kindness, support and understanding
feast on family, football and fun
and have seconds and thirds of hugs and conversation
with another generous heap of benevolent blessings
savored for dessert.

Satisfied and full
(stuffed actually)
with this harvest home
gathered, collected, and shared
we reap overflowing gratitude
with our hopes shored up
our context renewed
and laden with love’s lingering leftovers
we are now ready for the winter ahead.

Polly Castor
11/23/11