Happy New Year

The voice rises across the cold
falling gently along her brow,
lolling cool atop the heart-thump
bomp-de-bomp-de-bomb
of a thumb-thudding bass

She smiles.

Splintered post cold against her
naked thigh, flanneled feet
                           warm
against the breathing concrete.

Thank you,

She calls

For the fireworks,
for the glittering, shimmering
firefly
       works,
that hang
         suspended 
in the deepening dark
to mark
the cloudless, blackened, frozen
End
of such a Year.

He smiles.

She knows
He smiles

Though she cannot
                see
Separated as they are

By night
only night
so much
        Night
Still

He smiles.

Its warmth,
his warmth,
drifting
       frozen
over time,
wraps itself
            warm
across her cheek.

And
for a moment
she thinks
          Go
Go

   Join

Join him.

But
   No.

It is enough
enough
      Enough
to call
       Thank
You
(oh, Beautiful One)

to smile
        Happy
(oh, Beloved One)

to mean
       It
to mean
       So
much more;

To be glad
          Together
across the night

That the year,
this year,
         this
wonderfulhorribleinterminable

Year
    Is
      Done.

Thank you
Thank You
Thank 
     You

Done
    Done
        Done

c.sdmrogers 31 december 2015