The Problem with Gratitude
It is the mind’s youngest child,
one of the most stubborn
of human emotions. Gratitude
obeys occasionally
and often arrives late, inconspicuous
as a heartbeat or insistent as a sob.
It can turn a quick walk
into twenty minutes of unabashed staring
at the yellow leaves on a neighbor’s tree,
transform a glass of water into bliss.
Gratitude has never fired a gun
or met a dog it didn’t love.
It has a tendency to dwell
but also wanders. It gets lost.
It has a hard time knowing
when it’s being lied to, or knowing
how to be refused. Gratitude
has no patience for performance.
You want it to hold still and be seen,
it wants to fly your heart like a kite.
Sometimes it ends up at your table
even when you haven’t made space for it:
there it is, ignoring the recited prayer,
waving at you with one black olive
on the tip of each finger.
on the tip of each finger.
by Abby E, Murray
from Rattle Magazine11/30/25
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