"Untitled" by Alicia Judd

Chinese New Year painting, artist unknown.

This year will be a good one.

This year will be a good one.

This year will be a good one.

The resolution we repeat, repeat

repeat.  But it will only be as

good as we think it is.

"Untitled" by Alicia Judd

A year is like the rings of a tree

Does it matter that a new one is made?

Does it matter how many rings there are?

It matters when a tree is grown,

it matters when a tree is chopped.

But why should it matter that

there is a new ring this year?

"Untitled" by Alicia Judd

Sphere within Sphere, Vatican, Vatican City

I found the strangest thing in my pocket last night.  This is how it went.
It was a cold dreary winter break and all it did was rain.  We had had three feet of snow previously, but the rain washed it away.  So there was nothing to do but sit in the house and mope.  I had been wearing my faded blue jeans.  I stuck my hand in my pocket, and to my surprise, there was a cold metal object.
It was spherical and quite solid.  I pulled it out.  It was obviously very old.  It was made of gold, and seemed tarnished.  On the top, there was a huge diamond.
"Mom!" I called up the stairs.  "Where is the jewelry polish?"
"Upstairs in the bathroom cupboard," came the reply.
I bolted up the stairs and grabbed the bottle.
For the next hour I polished it until I could clearly see my face reflected in it.
On her way to the city hall, I had my mom drop me off at the library.  As soon as she was out of sight, I ran next door to the gold buyers shop.  The owner nearly fainted when I brought out the sphere.  I left the shop pretty satisfied.  I had $10,000 in my pocket.
So perhaps it will be a happy New Year, after all.

"Memories to last a lifetime" by Desirae Thosath

I found the strangest thing in my pocket last night.  A penny.  We had no change at my house.  We had used it all to pay off the rent.  As I stared at the penny, my mind traveled back to the house by the lake.  The house with the small dock.  My father would take me fishing on that dock.  One time, I accidentally fell in.  I saw a shiny coin on the bottom of the lake, so I picked it up.  It was a penny.  I showed it to my father when he dragged me out, laughing at my curiosity.
"Why son," he said.  "This is a lucky penny."
I stared in awe at the little miracle in my hands.  "Does it grant wishes?"
He laughed again.  "No, but luck is all you need to grant your own wishes."
Back in my new room, I smiled.  Maybe this will be a happy New Year after all.

"Imagination" by Dean

I found the strangest thing in my pocket last night.  A glowing object, so intricately and enigmatically shaped that it bore no resemblance to any earthly thing.  It caught my attention for a moment, but when I looked through my window, seeing the evil of this Earth, my thoughts were only of sorrow.  I was awakened from my despair when I heard the sound of my grandfather ascending the staircase.  He peered through my door, and then I thought it was a favorable time to ask him about the object.  "It is imagination, child.  You have always had it with you, but just now you have seen it.  Use it for good, and you may be able to weaken the world's evil."  So perhaps it will be a happy New Year, after all.

Artist: William Blake

"The new year brings" by Haley Ryan

The Forest in Winter by Theodore Rousseau

A old year passes

A new year comes

In the cold of winter

the new year brings

the warmth of new hopes

the comfort of new friends

the possibility of new discoveries

an old year passes

a new year comes

"The dragon in my pocket" by Haley Ryan

I found the strangest thing in my pocket last night.  It looked like an oddly shaped stone, but when I pulled it out, it changed colors.  It churned red and then it lifted its head and roared at me.  I stared at it for several seconds before realizing it was a dragon.  It had spikes starting at the top of its head and ending at the tip of its tail.  It was beautiful despite its tiny size.  It was so small it could not even wrap around my thumb.  I started to laugh but then it started growing.  I instantly dropped it and it quickly grew to my height and continued to grow until it was thirty feet tall.  All of this took about five seconds.  It looked down at me and I felt its conscience touch mine.
It said, "Hello, little one.  I have waited a long time to meet you."
I said something really intelligent, like, "Oh."
"You see," the dragon responded, "you are my rider. That is why I appeared in your pocket."
"Um.  Yeah.  Okay," I said.  "My name is Haley.  And yours?"
The dragon's eyes twinkled with amusement.  "My name is Thalia," she replied.
"Well, I thought this next year would be boring.  But now I'm the rider of a dragon."
Thalia replied, "So perhaps it will be a happy New Year, after all."

"Hidden" by Aaliyah Caliente-Zymph

Though another year is past,

I feel locked on my current path,

nothing changed but nothing died,

I will always have to hide.

Am I human or am I not?

I feel unlike my current lot.

Will I die?

Or will I lie?

The sheer unimportance of it all,

is enough to make one fall.

This life of mine,

is like a ball of twine,

It would unravel at any minute,

for I do not know my limit.

Docs everything lovely end?

Or is it simple a reality bend?

"Elsewhere" by Aaliyah Caliente-Zymph

I found the strangest thing in my pocket last night.  It's round and shiny, light blue but kind of warm.  It's not like any stone I've seen, too round, too perfect.  I stare deep into the entrancing orb, and the world around me fades away.  I blink, startled, and notice I am not quite where I was.  I watch a fish go by and panic.  I'm sure not in Kansas anymore!  Thus I decide to go and explore, and I find myself in the sea.  I'm in a different reality!  Here maybe nobody cares about how I dress or when I speak.  I may stay here a week!  Maybe forever.  Back to the old world I will never go.  I am safe and I bet I'll be loved.  Then I hear somebody call, "So perhaps it will be a happy New Year, after all."