Gravy
This is my favorite poem about giving thanks:
Gravy
Raymond CarverNo other word will do. For that’s what it was.
Gravy.
Gravy, these past ten years.
Alive, sober, working, loving, and
being loved by a good woman. Eleven years
ago he was told he had six months to live
at the rate he was going. And he was going
nowhere but down. So he changed his ways
somehow. He quit drinking! And the rest?
After that it was all gravy, every minute
of it, up to and including when he was told about,
well, some things that were breaking down and
building up inside his head. "Don’t weep for me,"
he said to his friends. "I’m a lucky man.
I’ve had ten years longer than I or anyone
expected. Pure Gravy. And don’t forget it."
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 25th, 2005 at 12:58 pm
That’s so awesome… I may have to, um, borrow (steal) this and post it as well. Full credit to you, of course. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving, my dear.
November 25th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
Love it! Raymond Carver is the best … and I hadn’t read this one, either. So thanks.
November 26th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
Happy Thanksgiving
November 28th, 2005 at 6:55 pm
I love this poem.
July 27th, 2007 at 2:54 am
I know it’s about two years after the fact, but I just wanted to thank you for posting this!
August 21st, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Hey, Carver died in 1988 didnt he? Its quite a bit more than 2 years after the fact. lol
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
The peom was posted in 2005. The response was posted in 2007–two years after the fact.
L.O.L.
September 4th, 2012 at 4:17 am
[…] It includes a number of my favourite authors such as, Margaret Atwood; Anne Lamont; Ian McEwan; and this poem by Raymond […]