There is a tradition at the Short Form Poetry Workshop to work a couple of new poems from the end of famous older poems. This is one of the two written last night:

New Beginning Off of An Old Ending
by Michael Doyle

Learn to labor and to wait (A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Janus set his particular date
As I let my usual list evolve
Into promises yet to resolve
Things that I must yet attain
Something valuable to obtain
In working toward my perfection
Or least heading in that direction
Hoping that I might yet have hope
In all the things that I must cope
Setting myself to this yearly task
As I question why Janus must ask
That we put aside the old year
To greet the new one in good cheer
Yet here we are again
With me grasping for that win
While the world knows mixed weather
I push on through to become better
Growing as I must or at least I’ll try
2022 will be golden, don’t ask why

(c) December 28, 2021 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved