January’s longing

A January poem

Dear Reader,

I’ve been thinking about two things: how we are drawn to someone because they embody what feels opposite or alien to us, a degree of warmth, a boundary, or other expression of feeling, and we may draw closer to them without knowing why. And two, about January. How much pressure does January feel under the weight of New Year resolutions (lose weight, put on weight, sleep more, exercise more, more downtime, etc.) and Quitter's Day (the second Friday of January)?

For this week's newsletter, I wrote you a poem about what January might long for.

January’s longing

If you’ve met January, 
You know she can be a lot like
September.
Both like to work hard.
Both resent doing for you
what you ought to do for yourself.
This year, January told me,
She’s had enough.
Go do your thing whenever you want to, 
she groused.
How am I supposed to keep track?
Do it in May 
for all I care!
You don’t need me to hold you to anything
You will do it
or you won’t.
Let me run through the forest 
giddy with joy,
and bring home wildflowers, 
still reeking of life 
and longing. 
Let me catch fireflies
and eat them alive. 
Let me look towards the moon 
from inside the lake 
and feel the eyes of my beloved
look back at me.

I wonder if January wants to be July.

Have a wonderful week!

Priya

---