“Piglet noticed that even though he had a very
                                                                                small heart, it could hold a rather large amount
                                                                                of gratitude.”     Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne

Reciprocal relationships among primates––
“Thank you for sharing.”
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

Chimpanzees grateful for grooming by another,
share food. A chimp hugs a caretaker 
for bringing him in out of the rain.
Bats vomit blood for brothers 
who miss a meal.

A fisherman lives alone on an island, 
rescues an oil-soaked penguin,
who returns after each breeding season 
to be with him, finds him on the beach, 
follows him home.

Ludmila applies for citizenship, studies civics.
With reverence, her accented voice carries
the weight of each guiding principle
and wonder of new-found freedom.
         All men are created equal
        With unalienable rights to
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness––

Gratitude writ large and small:

I’m grateful for Oreos
and ears of sweet corn.
For the dentist who reports my mouth
free of cancer, my teeth holding their own.

For the ring that still hugs my third finger, left hand.
For facetime with a great-grandchild,
lunch with a grown grandson, 
roses that bloom in my garden.

And though I may have a bad day––
an hour on the phone with Comcast,
mourn my husband, old friends––
It’s my life, a good life still.