Please don’t Google the poem. It is truly terrible. This line is a gift—the rest of the poem is re-purposed from drafts that did not make the Hallmark dollar-store cut. Trust me.

Part of me wants to take issue with the verb, but it is that verb and syntax that makes this line. That dedication to the present tense—not present perfect has been or the regretful past was—but the full, unapologetic present is, is confidence. Is is at every moment at hand. Is is always. And every time I say this line—this bright new year is given me—the year is bright and new and given me again.

So the question is, of course, should I take it? I’m not suggesting I should opt out of 2020, I am just recognizing that just because it is given me doesn’t mean it’s mine. If I take it, what should I do with it?