What Just Happened

No, it's NOT Saturday morning for those who follow along

You might be confused, but, no, you're not wrong

But before you bolt for the exits to rest and recharge

Thought we'd glance back together, review by and large

For it seems ever faster the pages get turned

And snap! It's all over, or so we have learned

There were highs, there were lows, strange things and weird 

Another year has gone by, the calendar cleared

Some things felt real good, many others did not
Before we jump to the next, let's consider the pot
The stew we all swam in, the things we did taste
Some we wish we could savor, others spit out in haste

The Bill's Hamlin heart stopped, a miracle came from that dread
While it took 15 tries for McCarthy to come back from the dead
A spy balloon got punctured, some banks popped as well
Trump again broke the record, 91 charges rung the bell

The writers - they struck, the actors did too
Fires raced through Lahaina, Hunter's problems just grew
And as if Russia and Ukraine didn't create enough of a wedge
Hamas, Israel and Gaza put the world even more on the edge

A sub went to the bottom, a freight train derailed
Fires up north made it so you couldn't inhale
And in tragedies less weighty, both worthy of skits
George Santos imploded, Bud Light took a hit

But all was not bad: Barbie set the world on pink
With a lighter shade of the same, Messi's Miami did blink
Spain's ladies won FIFA, Charles finally crowned King
Taylor showed how it's done, her tour was THE thing

If a buzz word did dominate it was just 2 letters: AI
Whether Chat or with Bard the expectations are high
Almost nothing untouched: text, pictures and sound
How we shop, how we learn, the potential unbound

As always some models, their time came to an end.
They lived life to the fullest, they helped set the trend
Tina Turner, Roslyn Carter, women who showed how it's done
Tony Bennett, Matthew Perry, Jimmy Buffet, just some

So much more has happened, too much for this space
Next year looks to be crazy, blame the presidential race
They'll be conflicts and tragedies, even more from the fringe
Adding insult to indignity, it's tempting to cringe

But hope lives eternal, it's trite but it's true
And all we can do is the best we can do
It starts with ourselves and how we reach out to others
And treat all those around us as sisters and brothers

So as we look to the new year, try a smile to start
And resolve to do better, to lead with your heart
So thanks here for reading, and as we open a new door
Peace, Love and Happiness and a hopeful ‘24

-END-

Marc Wollin of Bedford thanks all for spending some time in this space. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.