I’m thankful for the slanting rays of sun,
for moonbeam silver in the mountain tarn.
I’m thankful for the mostly silent guns,
that people eat and have sufficient grain,
that many rivers still are clean enough
to water thirsty fields and feed the fish.
I’m thankful that I can get rid of stuff
and that I still can share my dinner dish.
I’m thankful for the earth I walk upon
and for the singing sound of sea at night;
but most of all I’m thankful for the dawn
when we meet again — oh sweet delight
cause every day I spend with you I bless
you are my love – your breath a sweet caress.
Today it’s Thanksgiving for our friends in the US. Brian is hosting MTB at dVerse and want us to write poems of thankfulness.. He will include a few tips like lists. I have chosen to embed mine in a sonnet. I will be at a poetry festival when the bar opens and will get around to comment later.
—
November 26, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings
Poetry and fiction by a physicist from the dark side
Björn Rudbergs writings 
I love your poem, Björn, as well as all the things you have chosen to express your gratitude. And, as usual, I admire you for using form in such a meaningful manner. Enjoy your poetry festival!
This is a very sweet sonnet, Bjorn. There is much to be thankful for, but having another day to spend with one loved would certainly be at the top of one’s list. Enjoy the poetry festival!
nice… and a sonnet seems such a worthy form for giving thanks.. thankful for clean rivers – water to drink – i’m too… just saw a reportage on tv lately of how precious water is – and for so many people not so self-evident..
Bjorn, this is one of your best! Such a joyful sonnet, it should really be set to music!
singing the sound of the sea at night…smiles…i like that…and for the nearly silent guns…and when people have food to eat….so many small things we could not really live without….nice sonnet
Oh that’s beautiful.
Number of people killed by the police in Sweden–0; something else to be thankful for; we lost 409 souls last year here. You weave marvelous spells with your sonnets, spinning almost effortlessly from your golden poet’s quill. Like the lines /but most of all I’m thankful for the dawn/when we meet again/; hugs & harmony to you, brother.
Alas – there were around 10 killed last year by Swedish police..
A lovely Sonnet and wonderful articulation of gratitude. The rhyming scheme has a light-as-air effortless quality to it that imbues an uninhibited sincerity to the content of the piece. The closing rhyming couplet expressing the blessing of love, is just … so right – sigh.
nicely done… lovely sonnet… u motivated me
Lovely Bjorn, its good to list the things we are thankful for. Makes us appreciate them even more.
A sweet Sonnet of blessings leading up to Love.. the best blessing of ALL..:)
Happy Thanks giving Bjorn to you and all your Loves..:)
This is what struck me: “I’m thankful for the mostly silent guns
that people eat” … An accidental flowing from one line into the next, but interesting and powerful, nonetheless.
Bjorn, Lovely things to be thankful for. Well written yet again. 🙂 — Suzanne
Well, when you put it like that… there is lots to be thankful for, not just angry at injustices… Lovely sonnet, Bjorn! I’s just say that the line:
‘I’m thankful for the mostly silent guns
that people eat’
had me puzzled, but then I realised that perhaps a comma should have been there between the lines, or else ‘that’ replaced by ‘when’. Or perhaps it’s intentional?
Yes.. I realized that.. a comma or a semicolon.. (I had actually seen it first… but yes you are so right. Line-breaks cannot replace proper punctuation…
oh sweet delight
cause every day I spend with you I bless
you are my love – your breath a sweet caress.
Love to see the ending. It gets to the punch line which is not easy to get by. There must be lots of thoughts given to arrive at it. Great ending Bjorn!
Hank
Important to mention the sound of guns, I think…for because of that many are sitting at tables with one empty chair this year that was occupied last year…and to have a significant other to share with is a big one to be thankful for.
I like the realism you show in these lines:
I’m thankful for the mostly silent guns,
that people eat and have sufficient grain,
that many rivers still are clean enough
to water thirsty fields and feed the fish.
A wonderful sonnet, Bjorn–that touches on so many of the things that I, too, hold most precious. Thank you for you.
Bjorn – a lovely sonnet filled with things to be thankful for in life..
This is such a beautiful poem and lovely sentiments!
We must not take for granted the clean rivers that water thirsty fields and especially the love that blesses our lives…an inspiring sonnet of gratitude, Bjorn!
I love the “singing sound of the sea at night,” and I too am “grateful for the dawn” This lovely sonnet as beautifully captured so many amazing things that we should be thankful for.
Very beautiful!