An Ode to Thanksgiving

I flipped the calendar,
quite surprised to see,
that November had arrived,
it snuck up so stealthily!
Time for the ultimate feast,
gathering friends and family,
Making a giant shopping list,
for turkey and jellied cranberry.
(I'm kidding about the last,
no one here will eat it,
red, gelatinous, gloopy goo,
has never been a big hit!)
I hit the stores in search of,
the biggest turkey I can find,
how many people am I feeding?
Well, just me and the family of mine.
Okay, sure, it's a bit much,
we'll be eating turkey leftovers for days,
but it only comes once a year dammit,
so eat it til your eyes start to glaze!
(And like it!)
Checking my list, twice like I'm Claus,
Gotta get stuffing, rolls, and potatoes,
Don't forget the gravy fixings,
My plate needs to be a river that flows,
Over the mashed potato mountain,
then through the stuffing valley,
resting on piles of perfect turkey,
until my plate's having a pep rally!
Now shopping's done and turkey's thawing,
the days go by too slow,
until finally it's Thanksgiving morning,
and our excitement starts to grow.
Set the alarm to get the bird in the oven,
'cuz the largest one I truly found,
Haul the beautiful bounty over,
to the oven with barely a sound.
(If you don't count the grunts,
or the groans and the moans,
as I struggle not to drop this thing,
or ask the hubs for a strength loan!)
Make all of the desserts,
don't forget the relish tray,
Peel about 1,000 potatoes,
okay, not really, it just feels that way!
The flight of the bumblebee,
is going on in my kitchen,
get it all on the table,
without a single hitch-en.
Fifteen minutes later,
after everyone's stuffed,
on the meal that cooked 5 hours,
comes the part that's truly rough.
Clean up the kitchen,
and scrub down the dishes,
I'm a crazy woman,
my cleaning skills are vicious.
Finally it's done, time to have pie,
yay, there are more dishes,
is that a tic in my eye?
Then it's off to visit family,
to extend our good wishes,
pardon me if I fall asleep,
it must have been all those dishes!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! Enjoy your friends, your family, and most importantly, your turkey! (For life is short and poultry's only cheap once a year!)