Be thankful
“The Turkey” (borrowing heavily from “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe).
Once upon a Thanksgiving dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious leftover. I asked, I implored
When do we open presents?
Delirious with tryptophan challenging my senses, coursing down my face, I nodded,
Nearly napping, when suddenly there came a tapping,
Gently rapping at my chamber door.
‘Tis some United Way waif I thought, and nothing more.
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
Let me see then what thereat is, and this mystery explore.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately turkey of the saintly days of yore.
It’s a turkey stepping on my chamber floor.
Quoth the turkey, “It’s Thanksgiving.”
Then I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing.
Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its words little meaning — little relevancy bore.
And the turkey, sitting lonely spoke only,
Those words “It’s Thanksgiving.”
What manner of sorcery is this, I thought.
What message would this bird have wrought on my barely awake soul?
And where are the presents?
Once more, quoth the turkey, “IT’S THANKSGIVING.”
Kidding aside, this is a time for recognizing what we have. It’s a time for reflection.
We can always ask for more later. But now, for the most part, we are OK.
Take a break from today’s anxiety-inducing events and reflect on what you have. Remember where it came from, and be thankful.
Thomas J. Forbes
Hilo
Making America golf again
I would like to respond to Allen Russell’s letter (Your Views, Tribune-Herald, Nov. 25).
He could not name one single way President Trump has improved America or made it better, so I will attempt to try. Instead, he wanted to redirect readers to fake news sites that happily spread lies in order to be paid.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, 2017, Mr. Trump has reportedly been on the grounds of his golf courses or played golf elsewhere 299 times since becoming president, and that’s as of Nov. 22, 2020.
This means Trump spends about one out of every four days on the golf course as president. This has cost taxpayers some $141 million.
Trump has spent nearly 22% of his days in office at one of his golf properties
When the election was called for Joe Biden, Trump was on a golf course.
When a few thousand people went to march on Washington for Trump, he drove by them, gave them a thumbs up and went to the golf course.
This is one of the reasons why Vladimir Putin likes Trump so much, and why they wink at each other.
Dennis L. Chaquette
Keaau