The New Year

One more year has passed
Another year of anguish, struggle, and pain
What hope is there that this new one will be better than the last?
The future is predicted by the past.

A lifetime of innocence stolen not lost
Virtues violated
Mores mashed
The future is predicted by the past.

One more year has passed
Another year with no expectations of anything different
Another year of hopes dying on the rocks in the raw, glaring sun
Another year, no better than the last.

Giving up is not an option
But, success is so far when survival is simply the name of the game
The game that we each play every day
Another year, no better than the last

Another year of predatory practices
Another year of hunters and hunted
Another year of morals severely stunted
Another year that was predicted hy the past
Another year no better than the last.