Poem of the year
Poem of the year
A year is a song
we sing it
Twelve, sometimes thirteen months long
2013
a strong melody
bright notes
tones of midnight
the mantle of dawn
the people hum
and do all the things
in the world
that don’t stop the world
the days roll on
dusk approaches
a candle gets lit
surely it must burn out
we’ve come this far
I’ll spell it out
A wild berry
a fish
a star
a breeze
a sprout
plums and cherries
a hawk
peaches and ease
September was special
and yet
the best
is a table
outside on this plaza
on a cool December night
looking about
though
The wars of men have stopped
some of us
(blown out candles)
walking around
like
October’s children
taking
a selfie in Beirut
I won’t forget
New Year’s Day
Philadelphia
parade route
In November we ate
I can’t remember
the full menu
fish sauce and turkey
but now
I have a new issue
It’s this-
the song in my head
it needs a new sound
something purer
than a carol
or a jingle
after the year’s final countdown
renewing a song
that’s countless years long
is an art
I’ll draw deep and sweep the notes
of my heart
and breathe out what’s left
and walk around the sun whistling
the true alphabet
________________________
*this was a fb status composed for New Year’s Eve 2013 that has been worked on a little up to the present form, January 2, 2014, Nha Be District, Saigon, Vietnam
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