HOPE FOR A NEW DECADE

The sun is setting on this year, on this decade.
I could write in grandiose words of the state of the world,
The unfairness of politics, the wars and climate change,
What should and should not have come to pass,
Of losses and triumphs, shocks and disappointments
And things too difficult to comprehend or deal with.

Instead,

I write in the way I know best, in simple terms,
Of the arrival of new life, new generations,
Who will make great changes to our world.
Of lives lost, loved ones long gone
And the gratitude I feel at having known them,
Of new friendships - and old ones
That have stood the test of time,
Of broken relationships, seemingly beyond repair
But still I love and live in hope
And of newly formed bonds
Making life all the richer,
For their unconventional ways.

Now,

As we embark on the next decade,
I can sense a change in the air,
In the way the young have been inspired,
And have hope flowing through their veins,
In the way they will stand up and campaign
For the things that matter for their future.
Their votes will be counted and will count
No longer seen as mere children, as in my youth
But of young human beings, their dreams,
Ambitions and opinions worth listening to
And they, with those who care at their backs
Will keep the world turning.

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade