“The Old Year’s gone away/ To nothingness and night “:
John Clare “ The Old Year”
(ii)
We never cheered
for the old
no fireworks for what’s
best discarded
burned to be forgotten
like my unsent love letters;
we went to bed before midnight
only to be awakened
by frantic fireworks
(iii)
Nothing new
under an absentminded sky,
echoes of explosions
still remind us
of present, past and future
killings;
still the counting of corpses
was set to zero
at midnight
Today we revisit the palinode with Laura at dVerse. I had forgotten this, and tried to do my best (and there is nothing wrong with my numbering of verses… who says we have to begin with one).
January 9, 2024
Björn Rudbergs writings 
dark and darker Bjorn – especially that last line in iii!
I feel it is all we do…(or can do)
I like where John Clare’s lines have taken you, Björn, and I think the numbering is genius! I love the idea of the unsent love letters ‘burned to be forgotten’, the ‘frantic fireworks’, and the ‘absentminded sky’. The final lines are chilling.
Sometimes I think that this is all we do at end of year… reset the counters.
The old “best discarded/burned to be forgotten” only to be left with nothing new. A melancholic admission, Björn, and only too apparent with “echoes of explosions.”
Alas… fireworks or grenades… too little new.
Stunning way you connected the title to the lines in your 3rd stanza…..set to zero….yes, dark to darker, but what choice do you have? It is the only direction possible when facing the ridicule we face, the total brutality in Europe in the twenties of this century. An important work.
It is amazing how we humans seem to celebrate violence a our fireworks explodes…. while the dove of peace sits quietly on the limb overlooking it all!
Resetting to zero has repercussions in different forms.
Such a tragic year and no bright hopes for this one either
Few alternatives other than a ‘reset’ as 2025 begins, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I feel lost some days ….. and then for unknown reasons, feel a spark of optimism. Wishing you the best new year possible, Bjorn.
The reality is startling.
much♡love
Reset to zero, all those corpses. How easy it is to do. I think your poem sums up this new year and dare I say prior ones perfectly. Sad as that is.
Those last two lines!
I’ve always found new days, new weeks, new months, new years too arbitrary. It’s all just one thing.
Very realistic! When in London the fireworks in gardens would explode most of the night. ( often left overs from Diwali!) I like the line ‘uncounted corpses’ as we count the new year in. Sobering.
Sombre and sobering. Nothing to cheer about the new year.
Love the reflections Bjorn. Despite the dire situations of killings, I remain hopeful.
That was quite powerful, Bjorn!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
“still the counting of corpses
was set to zero
at midnight”
Outstanding poem, Bjorn!