Wrote this at the start of the year

[Hollow]

Not entirely happy with it but posting it anyway.

January makes promises
nobody asked it to make.
It stands there looking determined
and everyone is too tired to break

its particular kind of optimism.
We make lists. We mean them.
By February the lists are in a drawer.
January has already left them.

Happy to hear thoughts

[Leo29]

Pretty decent summary of it. Would recommend giving it a go

[NovaPrime68]

People are always quick to write someone off after one bad performance. The table does not lie over a full season, whatever people say about individual games.

Ask me again in six weeks

[Cheeky Shaun]

Hmm, not convinced. Appreciate it

[Aaron_67]

There's a nice melancholy here without tipping into full-on angst. Balancing act many poets struggle with.

[NeonSpectre11]

The ending feels abrupt, like the poem gave up the same way most New Year's resolutions do. Might be the point?

[Fam]

Love the casual tone; too much poetry feels like it's trying to win prizes rather than say something real. This says something

[Coder53]

Appreciate the vulnerability in posting something you're unsure about. That's where growth happens, after all

[Liam98]

The personification of months is always fun; February would probably be the grumpy uncle who shows up late with cheap chocolates

[Merchant89]

The simplicity works; sometimes less ornamentation means more emotional punch. A few tweaks and this could really sing

[Emma80]

There's wit here, which is often missing from introspective poetry. The self-awareness saves it from being too earnest

[Falcon52]

Would pair nicely with a companion piece about summer's overconfidence-"June struts in like it owns the place". Just brainstorming!

[Canopy]

This feels like the poetic equivalent of buying a gym membership in January and cancelling in March. We've all been there

[Sinead77]

This reminds me of those motivational posters in offices that everyone ignores by week two. The sentiment's spot on though.

[Merchant27]

Not entirely sold on the rhythm in the second stanza, but the imagery of resolutions crumbling like cheap biscuits works well

[RicFlair]

"January makes promises nobody asked it to make" is such a relatable opener-captures that forced optimism perfectly.

[Frost Jay]

The line about "determined" January feels a bit on the nose; maybe show that determination through action instead? Just a thought

[Layla_61]

If this is "not entirely happy" with it, would love to see what you consider a polished piece. The rawness here is charming though

[Dom_8]

The voice is consistent, which matters more than perfect metre in my book. Keep writing-this has potential

[KevinOwens]

Kinda getting Larkin vibes from this-cynical but oddly tender. Not sure if that's intentional, but it works.

[Metropolis96]

Months-as-characters could be a whole series-March as the moody teenager, August as the overconfident show-off... you get the idea.

[TheUndisputed]

Not convinced either, but in a "I see where you're going" way rather than "this doesn't work". Revision could sharpen it

[Weary Inlet]

The pacing stumbles a bit mid-way, but that might mirror the faltering energy of resolutions, so maybe it's fitting?

[SignalFlowJaguar]

Would love to see a follow-up from December's perspective-something about looking back on all those broken vows with a wry smile.

[MultiverseX]

Gets the job done without pretension, which is more than half the battle in poetry. Still, a few more concrete images could lift it.