A New Year Poem and a Root Word
Have you read the beautiful poem "New Year Prayer" by Kentucky writer Silas House? If not, take a minute to read his lovely intentions for a new year.
Or better yet, listen to him read it to you!
I love every item on this list--especially the one about holding babies--and I intend to keep reading this poem throughout the year to remind myself to do all of these things. However, I asked my poetry students to try writing their own version of House's poem, so I did too. Here is my version:
My New Year Prayer
Get enough sleep. Go into the woods
whenever you can. Remember to look
up. Notice the phases of the moon and
re-learn to identify things in the night sky.
Read for comfort. Read to discover.
Write as if your life depended on it. And
listen that way too. Slow down. Never
pass up the chance to go for a walk or to
go to dance class. Be present for your
family. Be patient with your students.
Remember that being kind costs you
nothing, yet you have everything to gain
from it. Reach out to others with invites,
mail, and calls. Realize that you do have
time to watch movies and go to the theater
to do so. Order the popcorn. Reclaim your
creativity. When in doubt, dress up. Stay
in the moment, but also allow yourself to
daydream. Savor both the cooking and
the eating of your food. Allow yourself to
be still. Allow yourself to not have all the
answers. Be flexible. And, remember that
everything you have now is something
you always wanted.
The line "Be flexible" is particularly important to me this year. Many people choose a word as a way of setting an intention for the new year. I've done this a few times, but the practice has never really resonated with me. Probably because I usually forgot my word by mid-February. But this year I'm going to give it another go, but with a slight twist. I'm not just choosing a word, but a root word. This way I can think of all the different words that stem from it, which I'm hoping will keep me interested and thinking about it all year!
My root word for 2026 is "flex" (as well as its variant "flect"). I started to think about this root word when I was reading a research methodology book that recommended keeping a reflexive journal. I'd heard of a journal being reflective but not reflexive. I wondered about the difference and I went down a little rabbit hole to find out more.
It turns out that the difference is all about time. If you're being reflective, you're looking back at past experiences, but if you're being reflexive, you're doing the thinking in real time, trying to actively understand and make decisions about an experience as it is unfolding.
This also got me thinking about other words that have this root: flexible, deflect, inflect, reflex, genuflect. All of these words signify a bending. It could be changing direction or yielding. It can be literal or figurative. This year I want to think about all the ways that I can bend and what that means.
I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, I hope that your 2026 is happy, healthy, and above all else, meaningful!
Thank you for this beautiful poem and your mentor text for using it as a mentor text. I think I'll copy it for my notebook and give it my own go. Maybe I'll even offer it to one of my poetry groups as a challenge!
ReplyDeleteI also LOVE the idea of choosing a ROOT word that allows for further exploration throughout the year.
Definitely try this style of poem--it was a fun one to write!
DeleteThank you for this poem. Both of them! I love the idea of a root word. Visual/word I’m going for is root and tend. 2025 felt like I was preparing my soil in ways, learning more of what keeps me healthy and fulfilled. This year, I want to tend to it. It won’t always be grande and dramatic, but showing up quietly and consistently just like my garden. You don’t get blooms the day you plant, and you won’t get them if you don’t tend. Some days require lots of weeding, other days, just some sunshine and water. Applying that to my daily life. Yoga not as a task, but ways I’m living it. Writing for connecting with my voice, not necessarily for anyone else, trusting that it will all come together with gentle discipline.
ReplyDeleteI love that gardening metaphors that go along with your words for the year! It's a lovely way to think about the year and how to move through it!
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