The Passing Of The Year

My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
     My den is all a cosy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
     And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
     Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
     With much of blame, with little praise.

Old Year! upon the Stage of Time
     You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter’s chime
     Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
     You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
     And face your audience again.

That sphinx-like face, remote, austere,
     Let us all read, whate’er the cost:
O Maiden! why that bitter tear?
     Is it for dear one you have lost?
Is it for fond illusion gone?
     For trusted lover proved untrue?
O sweet girl-face, so sad, so wan
     What hath the Old Year meant to you?

And you, O neighbour on my right
     So sleek, so prosperously clad!
What see you in that aged wight
     That makes your smile so gay and glad?
What opportunity unmissed?
     What golden gain, what pride of place?
What splendid hope? O Optimist!
     What read you in that withered face?

And You, deep shrinking in the gloom,
     What find you in that filmy gaze?
What menace of a tragic doom?
     What dark, condemning yesterdays?
What urge to crime, what evil done?
     What cold, confronting shape of fear?
O haggard, haunted, hidden One
     What see you in the dying year?

And so from face to face I flit,
     The countless eyes that stare and stare;
Some are with approbation lit,
     And some are shadowed with despair.
Some show a smile and some a frown;
     Some joy and hope, some pain and woe:
Enough! Oh, ring the curtain down!
     Old weary year! it’s time to go.

My pipe is out, my glass is dry;
     My fire is almost ashes too;
But once again, before you go,
     And I prepare to meet the New:
Old Year! a parting word that’s true,
     For we’ve been comrades, you and I –
I thank God for each day of you;
     There! bless you now! Old Year, good-bye!

  — Robert W. Service (1874 - 1958), English Poet.

1. “Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.” — David Wolf
2. “The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.” — George Bernard Shaw
3. “It’s hard to argue against cynics; they always sound smarter than optimists because they have so much evidence on their side.” — Molly Ivins
4. “Skepticism is the beginning of faith.” — Oscar Wilde

My company’s holiday party is tonight … and where am I?

At home, in bed, watching TV and typing this blog entry. And for once, it’s not because I’m feeling anxious about showing up … I pretty much just flat-out do not want to go.

Tomorrow is the day that we find out what our annual raises are, and I’m not feeling very optimistic, since I’m already pretty much at the top of the payscale for someone in my position.

So, I’m not feeling very celebratory, and that’s okay. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I’ll feel differently … I could be pleasantly surprised, but for once I think my pessimism is justified.