2025-12

starting the year's last month with new pathways to run
heading towards the big town this time for a tree
playing songs from the eighties now more than ever
harking back to days when you had to think ahead

reckoning up old snapshots from an older world
reading up as always on the folk-made know-how
trying to unriddle a light that can't turn on
looking at some rhymes and finding a common shape

hiding less meaning with see-through words in these rhymes
wanting not to spell things further for the midstream
shoving a great sum into a golden groundwork
shunning some well-liked but long-winded online films

noting words from the east to make these words lighter
writing only with old roots from the angled tongues
binding together words for new inklings and things
taking more than ten years to settle on this shape

buying gold instead of buying scats made from bits
wanting no longer the high life but a still life
trading laugh-worthy keepsake tokens for hard gold
leaving the floor of play for the soft and the still

drowning always and ever with fun things to do
reading about a man who wrote a thousand songs
teeming with a will to live even beyond life
having limits draws one into finding ways out

hoping to sail again on ships in years ahead
bringing back these snapshots of the old world waters
taking some time to look back at the world's wonders
posting snapshots of the trips along with these words

misspending lengthy times on twitter in years past
saving myself now from the timed frittered away
trying to make things that have shape and sharp meaning
hoping to leave behind something for the beyond

warning those who keep doing things without thinking
giving the sun the year and then the moon the month
giving the sun also the day and the hours
finding out that the week has no grounds from the sky

telling myself that this year had a lot to show
showing how the best things stay so truly unseen
taking part in a restlessness that does not end
flowing past red roofed houses under crisp blue skies

thinking about frogs in the slowly heating pot
rising early and napping in the afternoons
reading about an old building with tree-wooled stone
taking a liking to the hand-laid limestone roads

hoping the long fifth line can open in good time
seeing how many these days make the worst gumshoes
having answers right there yet they still can't see them
looking over spreadsheets to see if all looks well

looking up and wondering how the year flew by
calling it the "driving forward of wild speakings"
seeing more now as a cost rather than a room
making these lines for myself and only myself

putting out another line for the years to come
settling on a daily beat to get all things done
backing these lines up on a spreadsheet far away
ending this day with a still film about a "scrooge"

knowing that this year will not yield anything big
taking time to look in awe at the stone of lime
having less of a drive to see more landmasses
wondering still about a trip to southern lands

setting out to do something and then it falls short
dealing with harsh unforeseen setbacks yet again
drowning out the setbacks by thinking of good times
only so much drowning out one can do right now

seeing that green stars on those red flags by some trees
wondering when we will go abroad yet again
homing in on the tough tiring errands at hand
knowing that some others can and do let us down

having made all the days feel all one and the same
having only myself and none others to blame
needing rest from all these things coming forth at me
wrapping something up but not the gifts of yuletide

melting away the clocks like in those weird craftworks
running away with time but with nowhere to hide
needing time not only to stop but to run back
hoping we can get away with it all someday

finding days shorter and not because of winter
seeing the morning as birth and the night as death
working so hard at this with yet no end in sight
making these lines hark back to younger days of yore

handling the darker times by not throwing away time
setting out each day to make each deed with meaning
spending long days without work yet still not angry
having pulled back into a dark hollow somewhere

hoping to write more than ten thousand more lines
trading our old twitters for our new far-scratchers
glossing over some new things about deep learning
setting out to overcome the big glums and blahs

starting something new at the end of this long year
dodging any calls to myself to slow down now
eating butter cookies from our eastern neighbour
writing this in truth almost a fortnight ago

spending the holidays like any other days
thinking back to days when things worked more like clockwork
living in a world where time melts and sometimes boils
meeting kinfolk tonight after almost a year

coming back home after all the loud clang and fuss
spoiling myself with all the snacks and spiked-up drinks
watching films that have stacked up on the to-do list
looking suddenly at the last week of the year

watching another yuletide run past once again
feeling nothing but nothingness on this dark day
thinking of the big wave twenty-one years ago
resting up before the big waves of work come by

getting to the last days of the month and year
overlooking whatever that "winner" wanted
uttering "winner" instead of another word
dishing out darker overtones in these short lines

thinking about putting an end to this writing
coming back again to keep these short lines going
getting things set for the new year with no time left
rounding up all the untied knots to get them done

having the past strike and weigh me down with old hurts
trying to walk on without making it hurt more
holding together the best innards of the past
storming forward always into the long unknown

winding down this quick but long year with some still songs
writing more lines with the uplifting from others
looking to them to keep words flowing and going
making this the year when most things got "put away"

coming to the last day of the year with few qualms
having little to no time left before year's end
wishing those in the east now a happy new year
wrapping up this year with one last line for the win