Dear 2026 - 11 January 2026

Dear 2026, 

Discontented, on a worn-out sofa, I sit under bulb-light dim,
watching the blue-light portal flicker faintly before my sight.
You come - a mind-conjured monster with a toothy cheshire smile, waiting, looming; 
Will I know you, Formless - by your heavy steps, or lengthening shadow, looming?”
while I am dragged, still screaming, to the lip of something new. 

Deluded, I am guided onward to another January stumble, 
another year, another prison with a design signed by yours truly.
Yet by your end I will be better; I’ll rejoice, hard-won reward in-hand.
Bindings I will loosen, though my heart is still encircled by dragons;
on self-inflicted pressures I face down imagined dragons— 
tell me only of the sacrifice that's due. 

I play my hand and wager on success, with no arrogant intent.
Hesitation free, I'll cut frayed strands in the hope of something new.
Heart-deep, I thank those souls who stay beside me, keeping steps in check,
as unfamiliar roads are taken and venture’s pulse comes looming, 
welcoming the strange, half-aware that surprise is ever looming,
a journey yonder, kept for a trusted few. 

I will love my family, keep them close, and grow beside them near. 
I will forgive, though conjured phantoms in the mind keep vigil, waiting. 
With patient, practised hands, I’ll craft what lasts beyond this year, 
for the future holds tests and choices that are as yet without name.
Faith-driven duty - devoted,relentless, burning like flame;
I accept no guarantees; I will concoct my own dark brew. 

Amongst the criss-crossed paths, I will seek the one that calls my name, 
cast my ideas into the void and wait for the echo's slow return. 
Into the uncertain silence of a world that shrugs and turns away, 
with belief hard-forged from experience, I will persist. 
As bright key, borne of spirit, unlocks the year that is,
it frees the next and lets it flourish anew.

Yours,

The One Who Persists

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#Poetry #Resilience #NewYear #2026 #Motivation #Dragons #Perseverance #Family #Forgiveness #Creativity #PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement #MentalHealth #Inspiration #Future #Persistence #Writing #Reflection #Hope #Journey