A poem for all of those longings that seem ready to burst at the beginning of a new year.

Longings



They are there
I can feel them quiver
with anticipation
those nameless wants
so tired of being pushed down
pricked like bubbles caught
on thorns
swatted like pesky mosquitoes
that cannot stop buzzing
buried under blankets
locked within a chest
as far from the heart as possible
within the human frame
while attention is splintered
like sawdust and scattered among
a million pressing demands
and hunger is suppressed by
distraction
our longings go unfed.


I can hear them singing
those hidden hopes
covered in neglect
the day has come
they'll be silent no more
our dreams are rising
like stars in the night
their light is glowing
a new day is dawning
when our eyes lift upward
and we finally see
they are there, our secret longings
bursting like fireworks
at the first of the year
we see and we hear them
we can make them come true
we can let them run loose
let them fly to the sky
let us follow our dreams
across the new year
let them lead the way
to a glorious new day.