A Poem for 2023

Sarah McMahon
3 min readJan 1, 2024

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

The year has come and gone in an absolute blur. Wasn’t it just 2022? I feel like I haven’t done a damned thing this year, but also, like I’ve done too much to recall. Lots of flights and road trips and early mornings on the trails and in the mountains. Long hours at my desk either working or working on writing. Quiet evenings at the beach, loud concerts, and time spent with people I love

I have a tradition of writing a poem at the end of every year, a sort of homage to the time that passed and a reason to reflect. Time doesn’t pause, even when we want it to. A new year is normally when people make resolutions that they mostly cannot keep. This new year, I wish you serenity, gratitude, success, and a strong cup of hope.

Cheers to 2023 🩷

2023

I stopped watching the news

there are too many bruises

violence and pain have become everyday

but sometime between March and July

I stopped feeling a thing

when my friends asked what happened?

I’d say it’s just turtles, all the way down

just another war

just another shooting

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