once again we are hurtling head-
long into a season of paying
lip-service to gratitude
and reverence -- saying
lukewarm prayers into an infinite void
(that may or may not be)
peopled with the vigilant
souls of dead loved ones
and other relatives and celebrities
of various import in our personal
and collective histories.
we half-ask the dead to protect us,
and we bow our heads
for a moment to appear
reflective.
