New Year’s Wish

we need reminding, the time
clicking nervously, our feet in cold mud,
the answers found in retro bookshops,
only the keeper at the door
with enough time to cue.

we need the relaxation found
in tar pits, ancient animals lost
in ooze, their huge ears flapping,
then disappearing in blackness.

we need machines to rupture the cabal,
to excise the insects embalmed in translucent
amber, a reddish-pink disaster spanning
centuries.

we need artisans to pluck these bulbs
of taffy, to round them into ringlets,
out them on display in jewelry shops,
the asking prices pressed into velour napkins,
each courtesan advertising her own pleasure
moments.

we need time, we need sharing,
we need, finally, rest and beauty.