The Duskened Dragon’s Dawning Glow
by Giancarlo N. H. Gonzaga

Here I stand at unmarked crossroads
For few have walked this path through time
Forests of life conceal where go
The windings of this journey mine

A coin now standing on its edge
Heeding even the gentlest breeze
Once impartial to those insteads
Steadfast in 2023

Many months marched merrily by
Celebrating distant lands gone
Port of learning sudden goodbyes
Dusk settling over many dawns

Voyaged I, while a tad jejune
Isle of tempest bearing rare fruit
Sacred autumn leaves kindling boon
For moonlit minds irresolute

Soon returning to deep-cut grooves
Crafting cities, wars, and stories
Yet reeling fish scantly improved
And each new dawn brought old worries

Restive trapped in a paper maze
Was this unpolished gemstone prized
Swept in dim whirls and cold rivers
Still unappraised by august eyes

Stiles fade into ferny fences
Daunting most humbler passive souls
Yet behind, a path commences
Behooving my renewed control

Winds gather at unmarked crossroads
May wise ichor course through once more
The duskened dragon’s dawning glow
Flying through 2024

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A new year represents a new beginning, a new hope, and a new dawn. We make new resolutions, rekindle old relationships, and reminisce about the many memories made in the year gone by, be they happy or sad, intense or relaxed, in solitude or in company.

Many things have certainly taken place in 2023, and many hopes lie in wait for 2024. Here is my latest poem, “The Duskened Dragon’s Dawning Glow”, to encapsulate and commemorate this transition.

Happy New Year Everyone!