Poets have their own worldview, their own way of looking at things, So when it is about welcoming the new year, they weave words that are pure magic, that hit hard and leave a lasting impact. For a poet it is not another year, but a beginning, the sprouting of new hope, the shunning of some desires and the ringing in of newness. They beautifully describe the change by infusing it with emotion and perspective. Here are some most iconic poems that can be the perfect WhatsApp messages to be shared with friends, family and colleagues.New Year by Carol Ann DuffyI drop the dying year behind me like a shawland let it fall. The urgent fireworks fling themselvesagainst the night, flowers of desire.Duffy reminds of Tennyson in these lines, she is ready to embrace newness that the coming year offers.
Ode to the First Day of the Year by Pablo NerudaYes, even thoughyou’re onlya daya poor human dayyour halo… beatsover so manytired hearts.In these lines Neruda honors January 1st’s quiet magi and beautifully shows how this day surpasses the rest of the days in the year in its own unique way.Beannacht (Blessing) by John O’DonohueOn the day whenthe weight deadenson your shouldersand you stumble…May a friendinform your soulof secret cheer.In this poem O’Donohue blesses the year with enduring solace and mentions the ‘secret cheer’ that nourishes and feeds the soul.Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert FrostThe woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep.This famous poem is all about positivity and the poet’s insatiable desire to achieve more in life.
In Memoriam by Alfred TennysonRing out, wild bells, to the wild sky,The flying cloud, the frosty light:The year is dying in the night;Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.Ring out the old, ring in the new,Ring, happy bells, across the snow:The year is going, let him go;Ring out the false, ring in the true.One of the most quoted poems on New Year, originally written as an elegy for his friends, the lines ask to ‘let go’ and adopt newness.
The Year Outgrows the Spring by Ella Wheeler WilcoxLife’s rarest moments are derived from change.The heart outgrows old happiness, old grief,And suns itself in feelings new and strange;The most enduring pleasure is but brief.Ella shows that life is all about change and moving forward and whether it is joy or grief, one has to outgrow it at some point.On New Year’s Eve by Evie ShockleyAnother year gone?How to reckon without counting?better: let the daysadd themselves up,like lines composinga poem.Shockley reimagines time poetically and shows surprise that another year went by and mentions a unique way of counting years gone by.December 31st by Richard HoffmanWhatever the year brought,it is behind you now.Whatever it withheld,it is yours to claim now.Hoffman urges forward momentum and underlines that the new year is all about adopting and adapting to change.
