Champagne, party hats, and noise makers.
Soon to be forgotten promises masquerading as resolutions.
A kiss to ring in the new year as the ball drops.
It’s freezing in Times Square, but year after year we come.
Hoping for something magical. An effortless transformation.
The lights dim; people scatter hailing cabs and calling Ubers.
Eschewing the crowded subway, we traverse frozen sidewalks
Entwined against the winter chill. Its frigid air our sobering grace.
Two lovers returning home with expectations of romance
Despite too much alcohol and inadequate motivation.
Obligatory glasses of water placed on the nightstands.
Faces washed; teeth brushed; hair combed in silence.
Decorative pillows tossed helter-skelter on the floor.
We slip beneath the covers our bodies naked and so near.
You kiss my cheek, murmur goodnight, and turn away.
Your velvet back, soft, and warm against my breasts,
Advances and retreats with each breath as we spoon.
My fingers find purchase in the tangle of hairs across your chest
And I wonder if this closeness is enough. Is it inevitable?
Do passion’s flames eventually settle for being only sparks?
I sigh, close my eyes, and ponder these questions until I hear you laugh.
You turn around, nibble my neck, and whisper things only said in the dark
To a lover you’ve known forever. You heard my wish from across the pillow.
Now tell me yours and let them collide and come together.
A final resolution we can keep with each passing year.