New Year’s Eve 2020

First draft on lined note paper, photo by Rachel B. Baxter

Yesterday, I was
evergreen and darkness,
today, I am
moonstone and malachite,
a folded dollar bill
and a glass of
full-bodied red wine
instead of sparkling champagne —

This is the time of long nights
and gray mornings.
After one bleak day of dullness
and reckless dreaming,
I am settling into my favorite time of the year —
deep snows and fresh pages
and the weight of jubilation
lifting like the crescent moon.