They say to leave the old year behind,

Yet I have last year’s dirty dishes,

And this same dirty mind I’ve had

For all the New Years’ that have passed before.

I just turned, it seems,

To thank to my parents,

Ah and Ha,

For having me,

And Eureka! I see 

That everything’s gone.

Only this candle

And the winter snow

That covers me,

Covers me,

Covers us all,

Like frozen seeds

That wait 

To grow again

In spring,

With new parents to thank,

New lives to live,

New adventures to dream 

Through the brand new,

Same old seasons.

I hope and pray we will all give thanks,

And that, in spite of long winters,

We’ll always remember 

To laugh our way through them.

-jenn