Each year, one turkey
is spared for life.
All the rifles and coyotes
must obey
mercy. Inside the fence,
the polished sacrifice parades
pecking at its white feathers.
Pardon the turkey for not knowing
what luck means.
Born as a symbol
in the promised land.
Pardon the turkey,
with endless corn,
with erased appetite,
for not being as instinctive as
its brothers and sisters.
Under lights and under noise,
in meekness,
it greets the glittering lawn.
November lies down
her maple-red tablecloth.
* Note: The “Presidential Turkey Pardon” is a U.S. Thanksgiving tradition. Each year, the National Turkey Federation presents a Broad Breasted White turkey to the President, chosen for its appearance and temperament, and trained to endure music, human voices, and camera flashes. The President ceremonially “pardons” it, granting it a lifetime spared from the dinner table.
