Try.

New Year came and with it a welcome surge of hope.
December rushed to closing time,
full speed
ahead
as we traipsed through Ca with family and friends
Lily blissful with her "sisters", buddies, cousins,
a cat and a guinea pig,
dancing through sunny warm days that don't belong in
December…

California got us
Here
despite struggling in its stillness
Days too warm, with a
sunset haze that imposes and lingers uninvited in
too-early hours.
Dryer than they should be,
the hills sat patiently,
redwoods reached and creaked resiliently,
waves crashed gently
all of it present but
yearning
for rain.

And in the East we wait for snow.
Dry, dry cold with an occasional flake
floating by
reminding us of what could be
as we usher our children over this ground
through this air
into the breath of a new year.
I can hear Lily singing an old school song
"the Earth is our mother, we must take care of her….."

Today we skated
Lily snaking out of my grasp
I can do it, mama - she says,
her motto from birth
as she slip slided away, confident in her wobble,
bending, catching and crashing with expert-stumble-quick-steps and glides
sandwiched
in between.
Love to see her fly freely
But how comforting her grasp when she takes my hand
An ever-favorite feeling as we begin
This January, together,
with gusto.

The Girl is ready.
So am I.
The Year of The Horse
Here we come
With loyal intention and worker
determination
I think I feel it
poised to launch
Hooves pawing with anxious vigor,
may they strike the earth alive again,
and force the winds ahead.

This
could be a good one.

May everyone everywhere
try
to make
it
so.