Dear friends met through HP,
Not to be confused with antlered ones,
Despite the graceful beauty seen throughout your poems,
Or the fleetness of your fingers when messaging me.

I’ve appreciated everyone’s praise and comments on my poems,
But I especially want to thank the ones who’ve privately written,
Seeking to encourage me,
While knowing your kindness would be hidden.

It’s impossible to say if I would still be writing poetry today,
If it weren’t for your kindness.
While I wouldn’t know what was missing,
I’d likely be an emotional mess.

I’m very grateful for:
Your quickness to respond—the words often brighten my day and countenance!
Willingness to discuss anything—you’ve quickly reached confidant status.
Unique perspective on life, which I would likely never have encountered otherwise.
Genuine care for me as a person, not just a poet.

Truly, it would take more words than I have to do you justice, so I won’t attempt that Sisyphean task.
Instead, I’ll be forever grateful for what you’ve done for me, and try to pay it forward.
Perhaps others will also be inspired by your example, and welcome new poets as warmly into our community that is HP.

[Thanks, HP, for making everything from poem posting to private messaging available for free and free will donations—I might have never tried my hand at poetry if I’d had to pay to join!]

Watching you grow through the years I’ve known you,
Has been a journey of twists and turns, of joy and of pain.
Through all of this there is something I’d like to say.
Thank you for teaching me so much about myself,
Thank you for making me a better man,
Thank you for all the love I’ve felt,
Thank you for everything.

Due to what will never be:
Dishes that wash and put themselves away,
Lessons that squirrel themselves away into my brain,
Relationships that begin and mature through no effort of my own.

Character is developing within me:
Self-discipline,
Perseverance, and
Patience with a dose of selflessness.

So even if I grumble audibly,
I am grateful to what will never be,
For the character it is forcing into me.

Today’s thanksgiving
So I figured,
Perfect day to give thanks
To a few people,
Mind you,
This isn’t in order,

1) my little brother
For lighting up my life
Letting me
Become a Candice
Or Peppa pig
Or any one of those
Big Sisters
I no longer carry envy for

2) The dad who
Has given me a mix
Of his
Extreme childish-
(He’s calling me now to make a turkey out of pistachio shells)
Temperament
Yet contrasting
Acedemicly telented
Stern demeanor
While pushing my brother and I
And having high experctations while giving
Us the freedom
To forge our own path

3) The mother
Who is so enthusiastic
Talkative, sharing with me
The habit of
Binging on chocolates
Whose nagging
Has propelled me
To do things
I would
Have never
Seen myself
Do

4) The best friend
Who’s probably currently
On Assasin’s Creed
Or some other video game
Besides Fortnite
Which she insists doesn’t have a
Good story line
Whose milder temperment
Puts up
With my overly excitable
One
And who strongly stands
For what’s right
Following her dream
Of being a police
Officer
Despite condemning politics as
Boring

5) The three friends
Who stayed in touch
After elementary school
Who filled
My days with pretending
To be Elemental Mages
Reenact the Hunger Games
Warrior Cats
Although no one ever listened
When I was the medicine cat!
Who gave me an outlet
For my quirky
Book loving
Personality

6) The three friends
At my current school
Who,
Despite splits
Break ups
And an occasional
Difficulty finding
Camaraderie
Were the first
Friends
Of mine
At this school
And my anime pals
And for my years of
Middle school
Kept me
Sane

At this point I could probably start going off on
The tmpermental grandma
Who called my nose big
And whom I was mildly averse
(For good reason)
Until I saw a photo
Of her smile,
Holding me as a baby

Or the pink heart shaped flowers
That I’d look forward to
Every spring
Until our newly constructed sun room
Destroyed them

And on
  And on
     And on

But nah,
Those were some of my top ones
Thanks for reading!

People should be thankful for their families.
We should be thankful not to be in a country that is plagued by starvation and disease.
We should be thankful for our Thanksgiving meals because starving people don't have it to eat.
We should be thankful to have our homes instead of being homeless and living on the streets.
We should be thankful to be healthy and to still be living.
We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Thanks for telling me i am not perfect,
well noone is.
Thanks for making me cry,
well the sky does it too.
Thanks for the cherishing reveries in the past,
well i am slaked now
Thanks for leaving me without batting an eye,
well i was incognizant

But,
Thanks for making me smile endlessly
even if you are the reason for my current misery

I won't go just yet
Thanks to a stranger I just met