It’s a New Year, it’s a New Day

New Year’s Resolution . . .

Live Life Splendidly.

I had forgotten how putting the Christmas decorations away caused a cleaning/organizing frenzy.  Deep within my closet, hidden on the highest shelf was a folder of poetry that once was a high school assignment, completed by a long-legged seventeen year old girl who signed her name in tiny cursive, backward slant,

debby Luckey.

Small d, Capitol L.

I had long forgotten about That English Teacher, the very young one, fresh out of college and how she set my soul afire for literature.  The year was 1970, long before scrapbooking arrived, yet this young new teacher had the class make books of poetry and cut out pictures from magazines to decorate the pages.

I sat there on the closet floor reading through the poetry I wrote.

Happy are the games

Daffodils on a hill play

on cool summer nights.

***

Summer green grass grows

making patterns of coolness

in willow tree shade.

***

The poem below, written by the great poet, Robert Francis, was written in tiny cursive in the collection of my seventeen year old self.  This is my resolution, my mantra, the song of my heart.

Summons by Robert Francis

Keep me from going to sleep too soon.

Of if I do, come wake me up.  Come any hour

of night.  Come whistling up the road.

Stomp on the porch.  Bang on the door.

Make me get out of bed and come

and let you in and light a light.

Tell me the Northern Lights are on,

and make me look.  Or tell me clouds

are doing something to the moon

they never did before, and show me.

See that I see. Talk to me till

I’m half as wide awake as you

and start to dress wondering why

I ever went to bed at all.

Tell me the walking is superb.

Not only tell me, but persuade me.

You know I’m not too hard persuaded.

 

Live Life Splendidly.