2014

It was a year of triumph

It was a year of loss

Because each new beginning

Comes with a cost

 

I was terrified

To start over again

On this alien planet

That somehow resembles mine

 

It was a year of goodbyes

And plenty of hellos

It was a year of anxiety

And a year of hope

 

It was the year I discovered

I’m not defined by what they say

And what he thinks of me

Doesn’t change who I am

 

It was a year I proved

To my biggest critic, me

That I can do anything

I’m the only one holding me back

 

A big, intimidating new school

A first love I had to leave

I found my place here

You wouldn’t recognize me

 

A face I won’t see again

Until I get to heaven

The very first anniversary

Spent without him

 

It was a year of choices

Of chapters ending and opening

It was a year of forgiveness

One I’ll never forget

 

It was a year of sadness

Of experiences I’d never repeat

It was a year of figuring out

Just who I want to be

 

Now this planet I landed on

Is no longer alien

I never could have guessed

Where this year would take me

 

Because it was a year of triumph

And it was a year of loss

But this new beginning

Was worth every cost

Reviews

[Wayne Rockmore]

This is the first poem I've read of yours and sort of stumbled across it while browsing and am pleased that I did. A very emotional encapsulation of what sounds like a pretty dramatic year. Beautifully structured and with a very powerful final stanza. I liked it very much, its expression of pain and resilience, endings and beginnings, leaving the past in its place while moving forward to a new future, and the ultimate value in that. Terrifically rendered piece. I look forward to reading more of your work