December 31st
All my undone actions wander
naked across the calendar,
a band of skinny hunter-gatherers,
blown snow scattered here and there,
stumbling toward a future
folded in the New Year I secure
with a pushpin: January’s picture
a painting from the 17th century,
a still life: Skull and mirror,
spilled coin purse and a flower.
Copyright Credit: Richard Hoffman, “December 31st” from Emblem. Copyright © 2011 by Richard Hoffman. Reprinted by permission of Barrow Street Press.
Source: Emblem (Barrow Street Press, 2011)