This Communal New Year’s Poem has become a bit of a tradition in the sense that I’ve tried to do it for the past two years. When does something become a tradition? Either way—it has felt especially important lately to begin a brand-new year with a reminder that we are all making our way through it together, whether we feel it all the time or not.

The process is simple enough—I post a little prompt in a shared digital space inviting anyone who wants to participate; I collect responses either through direct message or a quick Google form and then weave them all together into one poem.

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This year’s prompt came from the necessity of hope, and it was:

What is one wish you have for our new year? It can be for yourself, for others, for your loved ones, for the earth, for the animals we love, for the *gestures at everything*

You could also respond with a particular beautiful moment you experienced this last year.

Be as creative as you’d like in one to three sentences. <3

I got eight loving responses this year, and I’m so grateful to my community and contributors for daring to wish. Here is the poem we came up with together. I hope it feels as grounding for you as it did for me in putting it together.

Thank you to Lisa Yoder, Meghan Phillips, Mary West, Shawna Stoltzfoos, Katie Joy Nellis, Ashley Novalis, Coral Rites, and Pam McMillin for their beautiful words and hearts.

2026 Communal New Year’s Poem

May we continue to curl into ourselves,and through, like spiraling bramble andancient branches that forgetheir path amidst the misty thicket.We can only hope for bluebirdsightings and beads of rainto let all the parts that broke find a wayto mend togetherlike neighbors, living in peace and leaningon one another, holding each other.May we behold each other. May we find a healingof our individual and collective attention;a restoration of our ability to noticebeyond engineered algorithms.May we refuse all manufactured panic, and only actin the urgency of love and embrace ourselves like we would a new lover or an old friend -with curiosity, gentleness, humor,and grace. May we all allow ourselves to be movedby the wind of inspiration,

forged by the fire of collectiveresponsibility, held by thedepth of the ocean, and groundedby the oneness of the earth.May we find peace and let thisslowing, this moontide current of awebe the hymn whisper-sungthroughout the year.

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