High Moon ascends,
Full and resplendent,
Sky ablaze,
Orange, red, a haze,
Year anew.

Moonbeams dance,
Over the mountains,
Valley aglow,
River reflects low,
Moonlit scene.

Lanterns alight,
Candles flicker bright,
Villagers throng,
Honoring the long,
Yearned-for peace.

Riddles abound,
Joyful sounds resound,
Notes on the stream,
Ancestors' dream,
Lanterns gleam.

Currents so mild,
Gifts drift wild,
Spirits guide,
Down the tide,
Protected all.

Water roars loud,
Mist shrouds the crowd,
River descends,
Spirit extends,
Power revealed.

Over the fall,
Lanterns enthrall,
Updraft takes hold,
Celestial fold,
Spirit ascends.

Soaring high,
Heavenward journey,
Serpentine flight,
Guardian of light,
Palace awaits.

Duty complete,
Spirit retreats,
River's domain,
Pure and serene,
Sleep descends, rain.

when I was 18
i was invincible

i didn’t care about people
so didn't fault them for not
caring about me

i turned 22
my invincibility strengthened
through the connections and admiration
i received

then i met you

and i exchanged my invincibility for vulnerability

do we see each other as friends, lovers
or something more?

it doesn't matter
as the Leap Year came and set the precedent
for a violent new year

it seems i’m not invincible any more.

This turning year  
a child of war so newly born,
could we give it a day
to dream its infant dreams,
the simple gift of a little peace
apparently not, or so it seems

Cheers to the new colors!
Use them to color the sprouts of love and kindness
Passion, courage, success, growth and adventure with a stellar face!

Paint the new series of events in your timeline;
might not last long but the impression will shine.
May you remain unknown to fear, tear, and sear
Wishing you a Happy New Year!!!

i’m alone on new year’s eve,
starved of life,
been living off of fleeing thrills.
i’ve been hungry,
lacking the flavor that lingers
on my tongue.
completely distraught,
all up in my head like i owe myself a debt.
the new year’s eve moon is absent,
but i need her;
she understands the length of my despair,
and she places hope in my palm.
nothing along the horizon,
just the vague glow of the Christmas lights from the passive neighbors.
unsure of what new year dawns,
if this one
will knock me off my feet,
waltz with me until daybreak
touches my cheek,
or leave me astray on a bustling city street
where the largest emptiness isn’t even in my own twisted heart.
and perhaps this year
will taint me,
paint me multicolored,
until my own shade of individuality cannot be seen.
fragile or elusive,
a patient lover,
a reckless ******,
a kiss that stays for longer than thought.
bigger shoes to fill,
new attitudes to convey,
new deals to follow through on,
old ones that have never been finished,
losing the fears of the past ages
that burned
down towns, left them flat.
if the new year unfolds like a film reel
with an unreliable narrator,
i’ll likely fail to look up at the moon,
lose my direction,
start believing the superstitions
with all my soul.
don’t leave me stuck on a bench
at the kitchen table,
writing instead of letting the world handle the anxieties for a while.
leave me alone on the edge of
a new platform
that makes feet sink past their comforts,
ankle deep in something i cannot control or hold with both hands or penetrate.
there may be new avenues to walk down
just to turn back around again in,
kinds of sabotage that
only i know how to bring upon the only thing control can control.
and new year,
don’t leave me alone no more,
i never wanted to be afraid,
watching the moon disappear like
all good friends do,
and have a stapled tongue
so that i cannot speak for those
who wish to
be heard
by someone,
anyone.

As December's stars fade into the night,
The old year slips away, worn but wise,
Taking with it lessons held tight,
Each triumph, tear, and life's surprise.

We bid farewell with knowing grace
To the months that shaped us, day by day,
Taking strength from every trace
Of wisdom earned along the way.

Though defeats linger, we release
The weight of what we cannot change,
And turn, with hope's sweet increase,
Toward the New Year and a bright new age.

©️Lizzie Bevis