Poems That Say Thank You
Classic and contemporary poems of gratitude to send when you’re feeling thankful.
A poem can be a perfect thank you note, whether you’re glad for a nice dinner with friends (see Bernadette Mayer’s “We Eat Out Together”) or thanking a parent for a lifetime of sacrifice (see Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays”). Also check out “A Gift” by Kathryn Starbuck, which ends with the lines, “today is a gift and I am / ready to receive you.” Or if you are in need of something a little lighter, “The Blue Booby” by James Tate is both hilarious and affectionate.
Slant
Suji Kwock Kim
- Liz Waldner
From the magazine:
Sacramento O No
Accidents of Birth
William Meredith
- Kathryn Starbuck
From the magazine:
A Gift
- Kenneth Koch
From the magazine:
Bel Canto
- Ilya Kaminsky
From the magazine:
from Deaf Republic: 14
Sonnet: I Thank You
Henry Timrod
Thanking My Mother for Piano Lessons
Diane Wakoski
White Rose
Tom Pickard
Those Winter Sundays
Robert Hayden
- Ha Jin
From the magazine:
Missed Time
An Exercise in Love
Diane di Prima
We Eat Out Together
Bernadette Mayer
To My Dear and Loving Husband
Anne Bradstreet
Brian Age Seven
Mark Doty
- Carl Dennis
From the magazine:
Worms
- Dorothea Grossman
From the magazine:
For Allen Ginsberg
- James Tate
From the magazine:
The Blue Booby
- Dean Young
From the magazine:
Spring Reign