Nocturnal November that month murky,
Marks the year end with traditional turkey;
Say, whatever happened to ricebread and rye?
Won’t sugarcane, and corn - sweetness buy?

And while nothing ain’t wrong with pumpkin pie
About this dumb bird have you wondered why?..
Why, in offering thanks with customary trend
This poor creature skyward we do send??

“Peru Pakshi” in Hindi or “Hindi” in Turkish,
This Indian chicken is “Turkey” in English!
As we kill and offer prayers in thanks,
Sending tom or hen to heavenly ranks!

So we roast and toast via this messenger great
Who we kill to thank and then celebrate!
For, while Jews have Matza at Passover,
It's turkey time for American Rover!

O’ and never mind about my petty peeve,
That come again for X’mas eve,
We slay this bird of royal descent,
As to the Lord once more we do present!

Alas!.. no pickled gourd or rice curd…
The heavenly bird has the final word!
Ah, such are the ways of North American Living,
Where we kill in our offering of Thanksgiving!

Rajeshwari Iyer lives in Brampton, Ontario and teaches Chemistry at the College/University level in Toronto. She is the mother of a special needs child and enjoys reading, music and travel. She has contributed poems to SAWF (South Asian Women's Forum), Magazines such as KALA, Marina, quarterly publications based in Toronto. She has also contributed to e-zines such as Poetry.com, Thinnai, and Tamilonline.