Burning The Old Year Poem by Naomi Shihab Nye

Burning The Old Year

Rating: 3.6


Letters swallow themselves in seconds.
Notes friends tied to the doorknob,
transparent scarlet paper,
sizzle like moth wings,
marry the air.

So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.

Where there was something and suddenly isn’t,
an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space.
I begin again with the smallest numbers.

Quick dance, shuffle of losses and leaves,
only the things I didn’t do
crackle after the blazing dies.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 31 December 2015

Oh, my, I love the way she expresses herself- So much of any year is flammable, lists of vegetables, partial poems. Orange swirling flame of days, so little is a stone.

17 1 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 31 December 2015

Beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing. Ten points.

2 1 Reply
Kim Barney 31 December 2015

My favorite lines: So much of any year is flammable, so little is a stone.

2 1 Reply
Ramesh T A 31 December 2015

Goodbye to old year and Welcome to New Year with Love!

2 1 Reply
Manonton Dalan 31 December 2015

hmmmm I will have to do a lot on this end of year day...thanks

0 1 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 08 November 2020

Where there was something and suddenly isn’t, an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space. I begin again with the smallest numbers./// the world was always modern in own time; was plentiful always; no scarcity the world had, but always everything was, is and will be decaying; at ending of anything begin another thing to born; the end is no end but starting of others; beautiful philosophical poem penned

0 0 Reply
Anil Kumar Panda 08 November 2020

'So much of any year is flammable, lists of vegetables, partial poems. Orange swirling flame of days, so little is a stone.'... are nice lines. Yeah, so much to do in the coming year. Nicely done.

0 0 Reply
Bharati Nayak 08 November 2020

So much of any year is flammable, lists of vegetables, partial poems. Orange swirling flame of days, so little is a stone. - - - - - An amazing poem- - There are so many things we forget easily- -But a small amount of things we do not forget and carry them with us as we welcome a new year.

0 0 Reply
Bharati Nayak 08 November 2020

So much of any year is flammable, lists of vegetables, partial poems. Orange swirling flame of days, so little is a stone. - - - - - An amazing poem- - There are so many things we forget easily- -But a small amount of things we do not forget and carry them with us as we welcome a new year.

0 0 Reply
M S Newhadney 08 November 2020

The imagery and metaphor in the poem are noticeable but poem as a whole lacks unity. it seems different parts of different images hardly put together. it may belong to a special style I don't know much about.

0 0 Reply
Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye

St. Louis, Missouri
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