DÉJÀ VU

“Happy New Year!” I hear that
from all those around me at this
year's New Year’s Eve Party.
I hear the horns – along with
the fireworks in the distance –
along with the hugs and kisses
of the present moment. But now
that I’m 70, the fear of déjà vu
is the loudest horn, the loudest
bang – the kiss that I can’t miss....
Yet, I stand there, hope in hand,
risks in mind, remembering
all those screaming dreams
I want to realize before I die:
the resolve to avoid all those déjà vu’s
that would prevent a Happy New Year.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2010