It’s working well enough to earn renewal –
the year’s experiment is a success.
My life alone is precious like a jewel
that nestles in the metalwork of stress.
Today the crown sits heavy on my head;
nostalgia and old loneliness impress
my aching brow and temples to embed
with rigid cold inside my skull. I guess
I have to let these tired moments be –
it really isn’t given me to choose –
accept the sadness as a part of me
and then discover what of it to use
in balancing a double-sided crown
that’s strong enough to bear me up or down.