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Catherine gave the Inklings our January challenge: Write a poem that begins “This is January” or “January.” (Inspired by my December post here.)
Wishing you as many deep breaths as it takes to get through 2026 with calmness, grace, joy, and love.
Catherine has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Reading to the Core.
Here’s how the rest of the Inklings met this month’s challenge:
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Gratitudes to all who signed up to host Poetry Friday roundups in the first six months of 2026. It was a bit nip-and-tuck to fill the last few slots (thanks for the help, Irene!), but you poets always come through! The complete roundup can be found in the sidebar here, and if you’d like for me to send you the code so you can have the list on your blog, just let me know.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
I know you’ve had SOME weather, (unbroken snow) which we need and have not had, Mary Lee. And hope it has not been too unpleasant but shown some beauty, with truth, in your poem. “Begin. . .again” feels so hopeful!
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Somehow you captured several images in that first breath of 2026. Love “begin…again” and the squawking nuthatch.
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Love your January images, Mary Lee, esp. patience of trees, and happy to help with the nipping and tucking. Thanks for all! xo
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To new beginnings! As you so wisely say, may we meet them with “calmness, grace, joy, and love.” Looking forward to another year of poetry!
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I so admire the deceptive simplicity of this poem, with each carefully chosen image building on the next. I especially love the “patience of trees”. Then, your ending is perfect–containing both a whiff of optimism and the steady muscle of endurance. Fingers crossed for a year filled with poetry, friends, love and light!
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What I love most about this poem is that the January is completely palpable….I can hear the broken silence and taste the tea, all the while sitting with the snow. I took the breath at the end, along with the final line, “begin…again”. Beautiful.
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You captured all the sense of January in so few words. Bravo. Thanks for organizing us for next year and for Iren’s nudge to dip my toe in the pool as a host.
Looking forward to it! Happy New Year!
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Love the cleverness of your illustration photo: “Intentionally left blank.” For some reason, I wanted to leave “one” and just read it as “deep breath in.” It messes up the syllables, but I like it?
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I love the images January holds. Especially taking a breath.
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“patience of trees” and “begin…again” — Love!
Happy new year, Mary Lee. One deep breath at a time.
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Hi Mary Lee. Happy new year. Your poem, January resonates with me. Thank you for sharing it. I shall think of it each time I sip my strong, bitter tea and look at the patience of trees. Well done! Thanks for organizing the round up for the next six months, too. I always look forward to hosting.
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Mary Lee, your January poem is filled with vivid imagery and emotion (patience of trees, silence shattered). Thank you also for your wishes of deep breaths throughout 2026 to meet challenges and joyful moments.
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For me it’s the first stanza, intentionally left blank–
as a canvas for what’s next. Molly captures what you’ve done so well: “both a whiff of optimism and the steady muscle of endurance”. Thank you, Mary Lee. Concision eluded me today!
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Such beautiful images for the beginning of the year. I love thinking about an empty bowl.
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Here we go, “one deep breath in/begin..again” and another breath out, thank you, I think this says it all!
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