The Warmth I Miss - Nov. 29, 2024

in those days four grandparents

one grandmother’s sister

an aunt uncle and cousin

mom dad two brothers one sister

gathered for Thanksgiving

upstate New York guaranteed

some measure of chill in making

the journey from our car to

my aunt and uncle’s front door

and then the warmth hit

hugs cooking food and faces

a gathering of the clan to share

mounds of sustenance and carving

another notch in the belt of our history

today I text both my brothers

and wish their families

a cheerful time at the table

while I sit in a sun-filled

chair in my backyard

the type of warmth

I’ve enjoyed since everyone

went their separate ways

but not the kind

I’ve been thinking about

the older I get