The eighteenth poem from my poetry collection Conception.

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Thanksgiving

We opted for something less formal:
thanks instead of a christening;
praise instead of promises
perhaps not properly kept;
the curls of your smile
instead of frills and bows and ringlets.
That was how we wanted it:
you the way you are
– so much for us to give thanks for,
not just on this church service
friends-filled party day,
but on those days when I don’t believe
yet looking at your smile
is like looking at God.