As Auld Lang Syne faded into silence,
and the fireworks dimmed,
spontaneous cheers quietly turned to memories
and a new dawn bid farewell to the old.
Through a crack in the sky,
hope sprinted gradually into view,
A solemn reminder that time never tires…
It strides onwards. On occasion, too soon.
And as time ploughs on, so, too,
do people who once favoured our path.
In time, reality gives way.
But memories need not equivocate,
stumble in the darkness of regret.
Nor should they pry open uneasy, dead-end questions.
Because life is a steady changing of the guards, shifting seasons.
Occasionally, there is a chance to stop fighting,
to allow time to seal nagging wounds,
heal hardened scars sore to the touch;
or simply to ease open doors that let opportunity knock
while gently locking others.
Beware! Time never stands still.
And the old year certainly will never travel light or empty-handed.
It always takes bits of us.
Inevitably, some pieces get carried forward, and others are discarded.
It severs fatigued links and builds new bonds.
And though New Year’s resolutions and promises come easy;
starting from scratch is easier said than done…
because every year takes its own pound of flesh
and annexes bits of us from the year before.