We almost whispered it this year,

the Happy New Year mantra,

for no one wanted to jinx it,

contaminate it with the year that’s gone.

 

And there’s no wild promises this year,

just a smattering of dry Januarys

and promissory diets

but with no great conviction.

 

And who would have confidence in this year

after the one that has battered our boundaries

and dented the previously safe,

unassailable surety of our outlook.

 

All the more reason then, that this year

we need to grasp courage with both hands

and face this year, not with vapid resolutions,

but with resolution.