By Michael Cuthbertson
Hope 2019 has been good to you.
Here’s to health and happiness in 2020.
Hope the New Year’s kind to you and yours.
Hope you have a great 2020.
Looking forward to meeting up in the New Year.
How carelessly I wasted my wishes
in last year’s sparkly Santa cards,
nibbling mince pie,
scribbling mindlessly
with the special gold ink pen.
But what to write this year?
Hope your kitchen cut hairstyle suits you.
Hope you’ve managed on 80% salary,
or paltry benefits, or nothing.
Hope Christmas with you and the TV is fun.
Hope you haven’t forgotten how it feels to touch
Friends, a stranger’s distress, a door handle.
Hope your sanitised hands aren’t too sore.
Hope the foodbank is providing festive treats,
not just Poundland own brands.
Hope all your plates are still spinning.
Hope the kids still know how to hold a pencil, a fork,
a dream.
Hope your internet is stable and your heart intact.
Hope you haven’t suffocated in quality family time,
or Zoom time
I’ve survived, I think. I hope you have too.
Merry Christmas