BOLLI Writers Guild Prompt for December 5th, 2019 – Write a eulogy for a close friend or family member
DEAR TOM
by Marty Kafka
12.5.2019
Dear Tom,
You were probably not expecting to hear from me so soon.
After all, we only recently became rather intimately acquainted, and yet, I feel you are a part of my family now. I have even wondered if it could be some of your brethren running around my neighborhood, acquainting themselves with my hilly backyard.
Perhaps I met you personally in the recent past, chasing you away with a broom when you and your unruly gaggle tried to peck at my pant leg. Imagine that, right outside my back door. What Chutzpah! If that was you, I apologize; although if I think about it seriously, it is a bit too late for my indulging in sincerity. If you happen to be listening in right now or even reading this memoir from your perch in Turkey Heaven, please don’t choke on the seeds and grass you are nibbling on.
Well Tom, I am not the first to have tasted the delectable legs and crispy wings you provide. And oh, that white breast! You probably can’t appreciate that you are so very delicious. Add home-made stuffing, mashed yams, green beans, and gravy made from your own body’s fat and giblets. You are a Thanksgiving party in my mouth.
I could embellish your species’ reputation by claiming that you are a self-sacrificing breed, but we would both know that is a bold-faced exaggeration, like the kind our President recites frequently. Nor could I claim that I sacrificed you painlessly using a knife, gun, or other instant-kill weapon. Tom, you were frozen long before we brought you home and Karen packed your hollowed inner cavity with her family recipe for stuffing. Karen and I, as well as Julie and Stetson, feasted heartily at your expense this Thanksgiving. Thanks.
Your brethren have a long history here in Massachusetts, and as far as my family goes, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say we have always been wild about turkeys. We’ve been celebrating your kin for several generations, especially in Novembers.
We celebrate you, Tom, for your generosity of spirit, poor flying skills, and relatively low IQ (even for a bird0. You are easy prey for us human predators. The qualities you embody are endearing to us.
So, Tom, until we meet again, Good Cluck to you and your family.
Best in Health,
Marty
Your writing is so fabulous and this is the holiday gem. Thank you for the happiness and perspective that you bring to Writers Guild.
Nice thanksgiving reflection. I couldn’t relate to it completely because the expanding turkey population on our roadways annoys me, and the centerpiece of my family’s turkey day feast is brisket (recipe handed down from my mom). Keep writing!