Ode to January

Cleaning up, in a file folder I find forms
reminding me insurance coverage is 
about to expire for the dryer, refrigerator, 
dishwasher; and an email from work 
reminds me I need to change my password 
in seven days. My passport has also expired.
Some library books are almost due. The milk 
is past its "sell by" date, and I don't 
remember how long a mystery 
condiment has sat in its jar in the back 
of the shelf. We are one day away 
from the first of the year— when even 
without fanfare, it's possible to look  
backward and forward at the same time.