New Year's Eve, 2022

New Year’s Eve, 2022

An old man walks through the cluster of white townhouses, clinging to the sidewalk

 

The sound of the wind and light drizzle against the trees is like a drum

He gently hums

 

Carrying an abandoned and rusty shopping cart

He’s dragging it along

 

Careful not to overwork his aching foot

He’s dragging it along

 

The trees watch him, stoic and indifferent; their branches are barren, the leaves won’t last

He continues along the rain-soaked stone path

 

Looking out at the church, with an old rugged cross in the yard on a hill

He enters a silent prayer, very still

 

He bends his head down

Hoping to exchange the cart for a crown

 

If that works, he’ll exchange the crown for some small talk