Let's
Mill a year of loss and gain,
heaped like golden Minnesota grain
in hearty barns;
Weave the loose ends of today in yarns;
Hail New Year bringing
days like kernels clinging
to an ear of corn, each sweetening to the core;
Happy New Year! Here's to two thousand more!

Jim Folk, Hopkins, MN

A home of joy,
A heart of love,
A path of peace,
Clear skies above.
The new millennium,
Amazing as it seems,
May it fulfill
Our hopes and dreams.

Paula Fox, Golden Valley, MN

Cynic's Tidings

Hazards abound:
May you escape them,
And may the world last
Another millenium
In no worse chaos
Than we have now.

Shira Fox, Golden Valley, MN

A Holiday Toast

Time goes by too fast, we say.
Why, those last thousand years just zipped away.
Now, raise high your glass
As those old years pass --
Then, a toast to the next thousand years --
Cheers!

Mary Jacobsen, Webster, WI

'Tis the season
Embrace the majestic holy time
Count your blessing not your gifts
Listen to enchanting music chime
Embrace relatives without any tiffs
Uncork a precious bottle for sure
Tip high your conservative glass
Say hello to the unknown future
Bid ado to the squandered past!

Brandy L. Meadows, Duluth, MN

"More Dance and Less Battle"
Holiday Greetings

Jim Swanson, St. Anthony, MN

Looking at my small son, his eyes aglow with lights as he circles 'round the Christmas tree, I wonder at the miracle of him. Thinking of that small Son born long ago, I see life as a circle...miracles repeat. May you see the season through the eyes of children.

Janet Haak Aarness, Pelican Rapids, MN

Raise a toast to the toaster this fumbling fop who tries to describe our joy with words.

Peter Passi, Mankato

A Limerick for the Millennium
Year 2000 we welcome you,
Though what's coming, we haven't a clue.
So glad tidings do bring.
Give us reason to sing
And give thanks as our dreams we pursue.

Dona Glowe, Somerset WI

As the millenium dawns let us applaud the ever rising human spirit. Generations before us found strength in their imagination, inspiration and dedication to life and never allowed the brightness of humanity to recede into darkness. Here is to them! Now, let us accept our responsibity to carry life forward.

Judy Freund, Hudson, WI

Ca(T)sh

At this time of mangers and hay
There's one thing i'd like to say.
Loving the Lord with all my heart
There's one flaw I might impart.
God, it has occurred to me,
May be deaf as deaf can be.
Lo, I've asked for cash:
Ah, God's sent me cats!

Leslie Chain, Youngstown, OH

T. S. Eliot's Toast to the Christmas Sun

The tangerine swell in the east
Squirts in my eyes and I squint.
The peel, cool from the night,
Falls on bare branches and plants
Orange orchards in December bark.

Alan Herman, Fountain City, WI

Christmas is the time of year we worship at the alter of joy.
We hear about a strange and wonderful story that makes us all
able to warm ourselves by the fireside of fancy.

Terence H. Cooper

Dear Santa, Better pack your (lunch) bag!
Lefty pup's waitin', munchin' starts his tail wag.
We call him 'Beast'. Sometimes 'Goat'.
Six loaves of bread? Gone down his throat.
Rocker. Shoes. Ornaments. Lights.
Lefty bid 'To All Good Night'.
Santa, pause. Listen up:
Cookies hidden in fridge-- BEWARE LEFTY PUP!

Joseph Hunter, St. Paul MN

HAIKU 2000

Time's continuum
Pausing at this bright New Year
Lets us look both ways.

Jacqueline Vosecky, White Bear Lake, MN