Friendly Street Poets has already started off the new year with its latest newsletter. HERE. It publishes poems on the theme of New Year, including this one of mine: 
 Whitegoods Christmas 

(On hearing White Christmas and “as the shoppers rush home with their treasures” 

over the PA in the hectic anarchy of an electrical department at Westfield 

Shoppingtown four shopping days before Christmas.) 

These dreams are stacked in aisles, white or stainless 

As promises of Love and Labour lost 

        The pleasure’s in the giving and it’s painless 

As credit cards and time defer the cost… 

        The New Year fades to Old Year feeling 

The Giving and the Gift both soon forgot. 

        You have More Stuff. But nothing’s healing. 

You feel that something’s missing, don’t know what… 

© rob walker, 21/12/07  
The Friendly Street Year kicks off properly with its first reading for 2008 on Tuesday 5th February. Guest Reader is Amelia Walker. See Amelia’s INTERVIEW.