This poem was written for Read Write Poem Prompt #107: Lighting the Way. We were given the above picture as a prompt for this week’s poem.
I have to apologize ahead of time: this poem is rather long. Also, I only wrote about the picture in the final part of the poem. But this poem was inspired by three things: 1) a poem I wrote back in 2008, “Modern Day Jeremiah in Six Sentences”; and two songs by U2, 2) “The Wanderer” and 3) “New Year’s Day” (hence the title of this poem). This poem takes off from and expands on the viewpoint of the speaker in the poem from 2008. I see this is a work about transformation, and appropriate, as we are about to embark on another year. What will we make of it?
Oh, and I hope you enjoy reading it.
– Nicole
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I. New Year’s Eve, daytime
I go out walking
under intersecting and parallel lines, messengers
carrying thunderbolt rivers through their black
and metal insides. Across these thin wire men,
a scattered army of sneaks join laced hands and
hang in pairs. These are the names of the dead in
black, white, and red sweatshop leather. Listen
in the wind, above the crack of bright blue cold in the
daylight, and you will hear them: Michael. Levon. Keisha.
Marcus. Darrell. Patricia. James. I look for ashes to write
my words, to wail angry scriptures in
charcoal rain over my head. God answers me instead with
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