sweet embrace

with each year's passing
I feel a lessening
a sense of smallness
that seeps into the silence
of the coming new year
I can see it
tiptoeing quietly
across the dew covered
landscape as if being
painted by a master
it slips into the morning
sun as the new year rises
and greets me like a worn
friend it has yet to meet
and embrace with hope
for with each year's passing
though I am not shrinking away
the opportunities in the world
grow much larger
and more complex
so I stand with my face
to the risen year
and step brazenly
into that sweet embrace
that waits for me