Two Poems for the Beginning of the Year

A Prayer for the Twenty-first Century

John Marsden
May the road be free for the journey
May it lead where it promised it would
May the stars that gave ancient bearing
Be seen, still be understood.

May every aircraft fly safely,
May every traveler be found,
May sailors in crossing the ocean
Not hear the cries of the drowned.

May gardens be wild, like jungles,
May nature never be tamed,
May dangers create of us heroes,
May fears always have names.

May the mountains stand to remind us
Of what it means to be young,
May we be outlived by our daughters
May we be outlived by our sons.

May the bombs rust away in the bunkers,
And the doomsday clock not be rewound,
May the solitary scientists working,
Remember the holes in the ground.

May the knife remain in the holder,
May the bullet stay in the gun,
May those who live in the shadows 
Be seen by those in the sun.

And this one, by Minnie Louise Haskins (1908)

God Knows

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart be still:What need our little lifeOur human life to know,If God hath comprehension?In all the dizzy strifeOf things both high and low,God hideth His intention.

God knows. His willIs best. The stretch of yearsWhich wind ahead, so dimTo our imperfect vision,Are clear to God. Our fearsAre premature; In Him,All time hath full provision.

Then rest: untilGod moves to lift the veilFrom our impatient eyes,When, as the sweeter featuresOf Life’s stern face we hail,Fair beyond all surmiseGod’s thought around His creaturesOur mind shall fill

January: A New Year Begins

Here we are at the beginning of a new year and I suppose many people have already made and cast aside their New Year's resolutions. I am still contemplating what I should resolve on that front. Some advice is sage and this one from Ben Franklin fits that category, but without offering too much help on how to accomplish it. It seems to me that finding your own way is hardest, but also the most satisfying. Don't think for me, and I won't think for you.


Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. (woman) ~ Benjamin Franklin 


This is a cheerful little poem and one that would be good to recite at the end of each day, New Year or not.



Then sing, young hearts that are full of cheer,

With never a thought of sorrow;

The old goes out, but the glad young year
Comes merrily in tomorrow."
~ 
Emily Miller


Here again is my favorite. This time of year I think about this poem a lot and think it offers me my best hope for the coming year. It displays fear of the unknown going forward, and hope for comfort and direction in the unknown.

The Gate of the Year         “I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ “And he replied, ‘Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!’ “So I went forth and finding the Hand of God Trod gladly into the light He led me towards the hills And the breaking of day in the lone east. “So heart be still! What need our human life to know If God hath comprehension? “In all the dizzy strife of things Both high and low, God hideth his intention.” An interesting aside concerns the name of the first calender month. January 's root is Janus, from Roman mythology, the god of gates,doors, beginnings, and endings. He is typically depicted having 2 faces, one looking forward and one backward. It is good to look forward, but experience has no meaning if we do not use its gift.

The Gate of the Year

This is a favorite poem of mine, and I share it with you.

The Gate of the Year

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention

Written by Minnie Louise Haskins

I had only known the first 4 lines of the poem, and recently found the rest of the poem, although I do think the first 4 lines are the best.
Here is some more info I found about the author.

This poem was written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins, an American
lecturer at the London School of Economics, who wrote as a hobby.
"Born on 12 May 1875, Minnie Louise Haskins... was a popular member of
LSE [London School of Economics and Political Science], retiring in
1939 but then reappointed a year later to continue until 1944...

She penned The Gate of the Year in 1908. It was privately printed and
circulated in a volume called The Desert... The Gate of the Year
caught the public interest when it was read to the nation by King
George VI soon after the outbreak of the Second World War. She was
reportedly profoundly astonished to hear her poem being read by the
King in his Christmas broadcast of 1939, and, according to LSE
records, gave royalties earned from subsequent interest in the poem to
charity. According to press reports, it was HM Queen Elizabeth The
Queen Mother who first introduced the poem to the King.
The Gate of the Year by Minnie Louise Haskins [was] read at The Queen
Mother's funeral on Tuesday 9 April [2002]."