dear new year,

my head is swollen, full of stuffing or
bumble bees. dig right in. i know you’d
rather have some peace and quiet, but
this buzzing is all i’ve got right now.

congratulations on your new projects–
it’s definitely you. play your sims, save your
dreams, kiss in the rain, get comfortable,
and deflate your swelling belly.

did you leave your disappointments at
the bookstores and movie houses again?
which titles did you choose? i am betting
on pride. it has always been good to me
and now, i’m going to fry it up, write a song,
and take more pictures along the 90-mile
beach for another hour. how brilliant it is
to be content! isn’t it?

by the way, what did you do with the
broken promises? i need the shards for
an abstract sculpture at the storm center.
i’m calling it “forgive & forget.”

i’ll visit you again in 12 months. until then,
please fasten your seatbelt and remember
what i told you about the slickers.

enjoy the ride,
auld langsyne

vivi survived cancer
this christmas

and she recalled
a priest saying
Jesus is the reason
for the season
but is not as popular
as santa claus

so that afternoon
after whispering
a heartfelt prayer
she went home
looked for her
santa claus towel
and used it to
wipe off the dust

from her bible