Happy New Year!

First published in The Kansas City Star (2007)
Resolutions
The trees fan
sharpened pencils
toward the paper-white sky.
I take one and write,
surprised by my childishly
round a’s, at how my l’s
and t’s lean together
like they’re staggering home
new year’s eve.
Though the lines slant
upward, they look unsure.
Trying to erase, I only
smear the gray and wish
for a red crayon.
The wind sighs, but the sky
patiently lays out another
blank sheet, saying,
“Try again.”
Alarie Tennille