Put Away the Pyrex

And some other thoughts for welcoming 2025

New Year, New You
By Alyssa Silvester

But what about // your well worn sweatshirt // creased, underlined book // the way your hand finds mine // the friend who doesn’t need context // scuffed walls holding a record of your child’s growth // my grandmother’s icing recipe // repeating the Apostle’s Creed // "Christ is Light" with lit dining room candles // learning to use my voice // howl with laughter // find the light // share my battered heart? 

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Put Away the Pyrex
By Alyssa Silvester

What if you welcome the new year 
as your grandmother’s favorite china teacup -- 
hand-painted floral and rimmed with gold,
instead of trudging into 2025
as your pyrex bowl -- 
bought on sale, scuffed, dishwasher safe?

What if you saw yourself as beautiful, 
intricate, someone to be adored?
What if you stopped working harder and longer,
let go of utility and indestructibility?
What if you embraced gentle, hand-wash only?

What if you threw a tea party on an ordinary Tuesday,
light licking your back through the window?
What if you brewed your favorite cinnamon
cardamom loose leaf tea and let its steam
dance on your cheekbone, warm your lips?

My grandmother’s teacup, recently gifted to me