May the 2016 calendar show
astronomical phenomena days,
where spring solstice and winter new years grow,
and dark moons set the beginning ablaze.

Lichun signifies the beginning of spring
over 7000 miles from me.
Frost clings, gutters sing, and birds take wing;
sweet promises of warmth brought by the sea.

The year of the monkey has just begun.
The age of humanity was announced.
Our link to earthbound time is undone.
We’ve left traces of us in every ounce.

Yet, let us hold on to traditions past
when we looked to the stars to help us last.