Printed in "Thanksgiving 76 - Cornman Anthology"

                                                    A BIRD FROM CUBA

                                                          by Leon Cornman

                                        In Cuba there was a turkey named Bates,
                                        Who decided he would head for the States.
                                        He heard it was the land of plenty to eat.
                                        He thought if he could go there it would be neat!

                                        So he stowed away on a ship going out to sea.
                                        In about a day he would be in the land of the free.
                                        As he strolled ashore on November 23rd
                                        One thing was sure - there wasn't a happier bird!

                                        What a welcome he got this beautiful day 
                                        So many people offered him a place to stay.
                                        He went home with a man who had a big smile
                                        Maybe he knew of a nice friendly fowl!

                                        He was treated like a celebrity when they reached home,
                                        Some guy they called cook kept patting his comb.
                                        He gave him plenty to eat and put him to bed,
                                        While a chorus of hens danced in his head!

                                        This treatment lasted until late the next night
                                        When he heard cook say he would be a delicious bite.
                                        Then he heard a Thanksgiving Poem by Claire Mears.
                                        After hearing the poem you could see the tears!

                                        He had come to America, to be a winner
                                        And now he will be a Thanksgiving Dinner.
                                        As he was put in the pot he thought of Cuba & the past,
                                        He realized this new paradise couldn't last!

                                        His short stay would've been worth his being the dinner
                                        But did he have to hear Claire's poem -
                                        He wasn't a sinner!
                                        He did not even mind losing his head -
                                        But why didn't it happen before that poem was read!
                                        Why didn't they first clip off his ears -
                                        Before reading that poem by Claire Mears!!!