Thank You Van Halen

It’s that time of year

Everyone says Thank You

Everyone is thanking

Thankful for this

Thankful for that

I’m thankful for Van Halen

And swooping chairs from the 60’s covered in hand knitted afghans

And military hats made of grey flannel

And swords and beads and M&Ms

And wooden tables and vinyl covered couches

And windowsills big enough to sit upon

And black La-Z-Boy chairs

And tuna fish and pineapple chicken and chocolate chip cookies

And the best chocolate milk in the world

And canned pears

I’m thankful for Van Halen

And Richard Marx

I’m thankful for Tom Cochrane

And Tom Stoppard

I’m thankful for Leslie

And Olivier

I’m thankful for Gilbert

And George

I’m thankful for Van Halen

And my 1991 Ford Red Probe

I’m thankful for all the doctors at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

And Vicodin and Percocet and Huey Lewis & The News

I’m thankful for Van Halen

And remote electronic garage door openers

I’m thankful for the Garden State Parkway

And sunrises and sunsets that arrive at the same time

I’m thankful for Walkmans and Discmans and iPods

And these emotions that make me incredibly high

I’m thankful for Van Halen

And the prayers in my name

I’m thankful for prophylactics

And apple cider (served cold)

I’m thankful for pins and staples and physical therapy

And that high school cargo net

I’m thankful for blanketing snow

And goggles for my eyes

I’m thankful for gasoline

And tin containers that can hold ashes of the dead

I’m thankful

So fuckin’ thankful for Van Halen

Fuckin’ Van Halen

Mother Fuckin’ Van Halen

I thanked Van Halen so much in this poem

And you (the reader) have no idea why I’m fuckin’ thanking Van Halen

You don’t know the connection

Fuckin’ Van Halen

Thank you!

© 2011 David Greg Harth

11.11.25.24:17:07@130BklynNYC