New Year's Past by Iris Rosewater

Almost half my life ago
tonight
you and I were dancing
embarrassed and bored
at my church across the street

we walked the asphalt's distance
to your trailor

I wished twelve times
on red grapes

rolling each one around in my mouth
before biting in

Asking for things like
straight A's
and bigger breasts

wishing he'd come back from Roswell
and kidnap me
in his white steed

Tonight
almost half my lifetime
later
I wished again
sneaking over to Pam's house
just after midnight
with grapes in hand

I wished to hear my four year old son
say a whole sentence

I wished for my dear friend
to recover well
from her mastectomy

I wished to forget at the very moment
I remembered
and keep remembering...

I closed my eyes each time
almost smelling the cigarette smoke
and hearing Flora's tipsy laugh

Leah,
Your kind eyes
blue as the ocean

unseeing into this future.